A Griffon's Redemption
by TheGoldenYoshichu
Summary: Gilda returns to Ponyville. All she wants to do is rekindle her broken friendship with Rainbow Dash. But when her actions from before seem to be too great to be forgiven, Gilda needs to find another way to win back Rainbow Dash's respect and friendship. And she'll be helped along the way by the most unlikely friends.
1. Chapter 1: Griffon the Untold Story

**Chapter 1: Griffon The Untold Story**

The brown and white feathered griffon named Gilda was so excited. She was finally seeing her best friend, the cyan blue pegasus pony known as Rainbow Dash. The two were best friends back when they had attended Flight School. However some unfortunate incidents caused Rainbow Dash to drop out and lose touch with Gilda. Now however they were back together after three and a half years apart. Gilda couldn't be happier as she laid down on a cloud inside her best friend's home. She glanced at a photograph that she'd pulled from a leather bag and smiled. Soon Gilda fell into a peaceful sleep, happily anticipating the next day where the two would undoubtedly catch up on old times and have fun just like they used to. However their reunion would be a short and bitter one.

The next day arrived and both Gilda and Rainbow Dash woke up feeling ecstatic about having their best friends back after so long apart. They ate a light breakfast, chatted about their lives, and planned out what they were going to do with the day. Just as they were about to get started on some flying, they were interrupted.

"Rainbow Dash!" a high pitched voice called out excitedly.

The pegasus looked down from her cloud house, noticed a pink earth pony, and after realizing what she was wearing, she tried her hardest to stifle a laugh. The pony known as Pinkie Pie was wearing some crazy combination of glasses, a mustache, a party favor, and an arrow placed over her head.

"Come on G!" Rainbow Dash called to the griffon. "You gotta meet my new friend. She's so cool."

_New friend?_ Gilda thought worriedly._ But the two of us were best friends. _Gilda was worried about meeting Rainbow Dash's new friend. Not only was the pegasus her best friend, she was her _only_ friend. Throughout her time in Flight School, Gilda had been ignored and bullied by every pony except for Rainbow Dash. Gilda had formed an extremely close friendship with the pegasus as a result and she didn't need some pony taking her away. Noticing Rainbow Dash's concerned look, Gilda spoke up.

"Sure Dash." she said with false cheer in her voice. "That sounds cool to me." _As long as she doesn't try to steal Dash from me I should be okay._ she thought. She didn't want to cause trouble with anyone, especially not a pony that was friends with Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash flew down to greet Pinkie Pie as Gilda tried to keep herself calm. _Stay cool Gilda._ she told herself. _Stay cool._ She summoned her courage and introduced herself to Pinkie Pie.

"This is my best friend from Junior Speedsters, Gilda." the pegasus explained to Pinkie Pie. "She's half lion and half eagle."

"And all awesome." Gilda finished proudly. It was a little joke between the two of them and it certainly helped Gilda calm down a little. Though her mood took a downturn when Rainbow Dash suggested that they show Pinkie Pie the chant that they had been forced to recite every day at Flight School.

"I'll never get that lame thing out of my head." Gilda muttered. Aside from meeting Rainbow Dash, Flight School had been one bad experience after another for the griffon. That chant was just a reminder of all the pain that she went through. She did not want to have to relive those memories, but Rainbow Dash was giving her such a cheerful look that Gilda couldn't resist._ That look gets me every time. _Gilda thought to herself. She joined in with the pegasus in singing the school's song, but she was definitely far from enthusiastic.

"Junior Speedsters are our lives  
>Sky bound soars and daring dives.<br>Junior Speedsters it's our quest  
>to someday be the very best." they sang, as they performed a little routine to go along with it.<p>

When the duo had finished they noticed that Pinkie Pie was laughing. Both the pegasus and the griffon ran their hoof and paw through their manes in an effort to make themselves look cool. Gilda reminded Rainbow Dash about how they had planned to go flying that day, and after Rainbow Dash told Pinkie Pie that she'd hang out later, they were off.

_Pinkie Pie doesn't seem too bad._ Gilda thought. _As long as she doesn't bug us she might be kinda cool. _

Once Gilda and Rainbow Dash really got going with their stunts, the griffon had pushed all thoughts of Pinkie Pie out of her mind. This, she felt, was where she truly belonged. Gilda really enjoyed flying through the air with her best friend and performing awesome stunts. This was what she had been waiting for throughout all those years that the duo had spent apart. This was what she had missed all that time. Once the duo had finished their stunts, they landed on a cloud and were talking when they got interrupted. Pinkie Pie showed up again. This time she was tied to a bunch of balloons.

_Why is this pony following us? _Gilda thought angrily. _No, no, don't get angry. Keep cool. Maybe Dash will let her down gently. _

Rainbow Dash however, seemed to have no intentions of letting Pinkie Pie down in any sense. She took off into the sky again, leaving Gilda and Pinkie Pie behind her. Gilda turned to Pinkie Pie and tried her best to keep calm, but made sure that the pony knew to leave her and Rainbow Dash alone. She used her claws to pop a few of Pinkie Pie's balloons. She only popped a small amount so that Pinkie Pie would float gently down instead of crashing. Gilda might have been annoyed by the pony, but she didn't want to hurt her. Taking to the sky, the griffon flew off in pursuit of her best friend.

The two of them had a race and were about to bump their fists, or rather hoof and fist together, but both hoof and fist collided unexpectedly with a pink head. Pinkie Pie had caught up with them again by bouncing on a pogo stick. Even after the duo left her behind, she caught up with them once more, this time flying some weird vehicle that the griffon couldn't describe.

_This pony is really getting on my nerves._ Gilda thought. The griffon was getting more and more annoyed with each interruption. _Guess I'll need to make sure she knows to leave us alone._

As Rainbow Dash took off again, Gilda beckoned the pink pony to come closer to her and then she grabbed a part of Pinkie Pie's flying machine.

"Listen Pinko." she growled, in a voice that was much more harsh than she intended, as she put her face right in front of the pink pony. "Don't you know how to take buzz off for an answer? You're dorking up the skies _Stinkie Pie_." And with that she sent Pinkie Pie back down to the ground. Gilda gazed at the place where Pinkie Pie used to be and regretted her actions.

_I shouldn't have done that. _Gilda thought sadly, while shaking her white feathered head. _But if it will get her to leave me and Dash alone then it'll be worth it. I can always make it up to her later. _She saw that Rainbow Dash had returned from wherever she had flown off to. The light blue pegasus started glancing around looking for Pinkie Pie.

"Hey where's Pinkie Pie and her crazy contraption?" the pegasus wondered.

"Oh she left. Said something about being busy as a bee." Gilda replied. _Did I really just lie right to her face? Some best friend I am._

Rainbow Dash then said that she had to go to work and told Gilda to walk around and see what Ponyville was like while she waited for the pegasus to return.

"You'll love it here G!" she exclaimed. "The ponies here are really cool."

Gilda did just what Rainbow Dash told her to. She was seeing what Ponyville was like and boy she _hated _it. Some old pony with a walker had yelled at Gilda for quite literally no reason. Among the screaming, Gilda heard a few words which she was certain were racial slurs against griffons. Things didn't improve later as some pony selling apples refused to let Gilda buy one.

"We don't serve your kind here." the pony growled giving Gilda a glare. "Get out."

"But I have bits why can't I buy an apple?" Gilda asked. She was definitely getting hungry and this pony wouldn't sell her anything.

"I said no. Now beat it!" the pony snapped. "The only apples I'll give you are horseapples!"

Gilda walked away and she was definitely getting angry now. These residents were treating her terribly and she hadn't even done anything. She never said a word to the old pony. Heck she didn't even _look_ at her and she got yelled at and insulted. All she wanted to do was buy an apple and the shopkeeper was acting just as bad as the old pony.

_See what the place is like she said._ Gilda thought. _You'll love it she said. Well half an hour here and I feel like I'm back in Flight School._

Gilda's thoughts were interrupted as a young pony approached her. _What did they call their kids?_ Gilda wondered, racking her brains to remember. _Was it foals? Fauns? No, fillies. That's it fillies. _The filly had seen the shopkeeper's rudeness and had offered Gilda an apple from his store, her treat. _This filly's probably the nicest pony I've met besides Dash._ Gilda thought. The filly had a light yellow coat and a dark red mane which had been accessorized with a large pink bow. Gilda took the filly up on her offer. The filly gave Gilda some bits and walked away, saying something about trying to get her cutie mark. Gilda walked over to the apple stand and saw the old mare from before. Suddenly a mischievous grin grew on her face.

_This could be fun._ the griffon thought._ That pony insulted me, so I think I'll give her a little scare. _Gilda had always had a bit of playful mischief in her. That was just one of the many traits that she and Rainbow Dash shared, and just one of the many reasons why the two of them were best friends.

Crouching down low, Gilda hid in the apple stand and let her tail stick out of the apples. Soon enough the old mare yelled in fright. Gilda couldn't understand everything that the pony was saying, but she heard something about a rattler, whatever that was, before the old mare took off. Smiling a little to herself, Gilda grabbed an apple from the stand and left the filly's bits on the counter. It was only after she finished the apple that Gilda had realized what was happening to her.

_Is this what I've turned into? _she wondered. _A jerk? A thief? This town is messing me up. I better bail and fast!_

But even that wasn't going to be easy. As Gilda tried to get away, she bumped into some yellow pegasus pony with a pink mane. The pony had been escorting a family of ducks across town. She tried to apologize to the griffon, but Gilda snapped. She insulted and made fun of the pony before letting out an almighty roar that sent the pegasus running away in tears. Gilda noticed that a bunch ponies, including Pinkie Pie, were glaring at her, but she scoffed at them and flew off back to Rainbow Dash's house and into the spare empty room that she slept in. She curled herself up into a ball on the floor and cursed herself.

_What have I done?_ Gilda thought angrily. She wasn't angry with the residents of Ponyville. She was angry with herself. _I scared some old mare, then I stole an apple, and now I made some pony cry for no reason. What's wrong with me?_ Gilda briefly thought about just grabbing her bag and leaving Ponyville behind right away. But she thought of Rainbow Dash and knew how heartbroken her best friend would be if she left right then and there. She knew that she couldn't leave no matter how much she wanted to. Soon enough Rainbow Dash had returned from work and apparently she didn't know about what Gilda had done. She told Gilda that Pinkie Pie was going to throw a party to welcome her to Ponyville, much to the griffon's panic.

_Oh no!_ Gilda thought. _Pinkie saw everything I did before. If she tells Dash what I've done I'm screwed. Dash'll hate me for sure. I can't show my face at that party._

However Rainbow Dash looked so happy at the thought of Gilda meeting her new friends that Gilda couldn't bring herself to refuse to go to the party or to tell Rainbow Dash about the horrible things that she had done that day. Soon enough the two were on their way to some place called SugarCube Corner. They entered and were greeted with many cheerful ponies and what looked like a good party. If only Gilda knew what was going to happen. Apparently before the party started, somepony had set up a bunch of pranks and Gilda of course walked right into each and every one of them. The griffon was getting increasingly annoyed with each one. She enjoyed a good prank most of the time and could even appreciate one when she was the one being pranked. However, this amount of humiliation, coupled with all the anger and stress she was feeling from what had already happened was pushing the griffon to her breaking point. As each prank humiliated her more and more, she also started feeling extremely paranoid.

_This pink pony is out to get me. _Gilda thought nervously. _She's trying to get me to lose my cool. I just gotta stay calm or bail. _She tried to give Rainbow Dash a warning glance, but the pegasus either didn't notice or didn't care. _Come on Dash. _Gilda thought pleadingly. _We've been best friends for years. Please realize when I'm about to lose my cool! Please! _She kept trying to get Rainbow Dash's attention but she was unsuccessful.

Soon enough Pinkie Pie said they were going to play some game called pin the tail on the pony. Gilda noticed a white pony with a fancy purple mane excitedly wish that she'd get to go first and use the purple tail. Gilda harshly responded that since she was the guest of honor she'd go first and use the purple tail. _Wow I'm really becoming a jerk. _Gilda realized. _Snapping at her like that over nothing is not like me._ Pinkie Pie spun Gilda around and told her to walk forwards. _Probably another prank. Well this pony's not tricking me this time._ Gilda went the opposite direction that Pinkie Pie told her to and of course, set off another prank. She was really close to losing it now. _Come on Gilda. Keep cool. Don't lose it. Not in front of Dash._

However it was no use. Gilda had finally had enough of the pranks and she insulted Pinkie Pie mercilessly. She was venting all of her frustration from the day's events on the pink pony, seething with rage the entire time. However the biggest shock for her was when Rainbow Dash defended Pinkie Pie and declared that _she_ was the one that had set up the pranks.

"So I guess _I'm_ Queen Lame-o." Rainbow Dash spat angrily. "If being cool is all you care about then maybe you should find some cool friends somewhere else."

_No. _Gilda thought. _She's lying. She couldn't have done it. It had to be Pinkie. There's no way Dash set up those pranks._

"You you." she sputtered. "You're such a flip flop." she screeched. "Cool one minute and lame the next." Gilda walked towards the door and turned to Rainbow Dash. "When you decide not to be lame anymore give me a call." And with that she took off, leaving a bunch of stunned ponies, as well as her only friend behind her. The griffon flew off back to Rainbow Dash's house, grabbed her bag, and left Ponyville, blinking the tears out of her eyes as she flew. Her tears were of anger, sadness, betrayal, and remorse. Gilda flew high in the air and watched as her tears hit the ground below her.


	2. Chapter 2: Anger

**Chapter 2: Anger**

Gilda the Griffon sat down on a cloud all alone, having just left Ponyville behind her. All of her sadness and guilt had been replaced by anger now. She was brooding over the fact that her best friend, the rainbow maned pegasus pony Rainbow Dash, had abandoned her for those lame dweebs that she called friends. She and Rainbow Dash had been best friends for years and to think she'd ditch Gilda just like that. Even if those dweebs _were_ Rainbow Dash's friends, certainly Gilda should have been forgiven at least a little considering how close they'd been. But no, Rainbow Dash didn't even give her a chance to explain herself before she blew up at her. _So much for being the Element of Loyalty._ Gilda thought angrily.

"What is wrong with that pony?" Gilda growled to herself. "Why would she pick those dweebs over _me_? We've been together for so long and she ditches me just like that? After everything we've been through together?" Scowling, Gilda took flight again to put even more distance between her and the lame town that she left behind. Finally slowing to a stop, she touched ground again and kept thinking about Rainbow Dash and what had happened before. She'd went to that town filled with ponies, searching for her old friend. Then that pink pony came in and ruined everything.

"It's all because of that lame dweeb STINKIE PIE!" She screeched the pink pony's name to the heavens. "If she hadn't been so annoying with her dumb pranks, then this never would have happened!" Gilda breathed heavily and tried to calm herself down as best as she could. _Blame Pinkie Pie all you want you know who's fault it is. _she thought. She knew Rainbow Dash had set up the pranks, but she couldn't pin her misery on her former best and only friend. She reached into a small leather bag that she had carried with her to Ponyville. She pulled out the only thing that had been in it: a cardboard box with a framed picture inside. Gilda stared hard at the picture before placing it back inside the box. "Doesn't matter anymore." She fumed. "Dash is gone and I'm alone." She laid down on the ground hoping to get some sleep but not before she muttered to herself "just like before." She closed her eyes waiting to fall asleep but she knew that wasn't going to happen. She was going to have some bad dreams tonight for sure. "Stupid stupid stupid." she muttered while banging her head on the ground. "What was I thinking?"

Meanwhile back in Ponyville, Rainbow Dash was in a very similar state of anger.

"What the hay is wrong with that griffon?" she shouted to herself as she furiously paced around her cloud house. "She visits me after years apart and insults all my friends!" Rainbow Dash sat on her bed which was a cloud just like her house. Rainbow Dash closed her purple and pink eyes and remembered how close she and Gilda used to be. They were best friends. They had the same interests, sense of humor, and everything. It was no surprise how well they had worked together when they had attended Flight School together. They had been so evenly matched in terms of skill that it was nearly impossible for anypony to tell which of the two was the better flier. They'd gotten each other through some rough times. Gilda had been there when Rainbow Dash had needed her most and Rainbow Dash had done the same for Gilda. The pegasus pony opened her eyes again and sighed.

"I guess it just goes to show that anypony or griffon can change and go from being your best friend to being a jerk." She strode over to a cabinet and pulled out a bottle of medicine that helped her get to sleep. She rarely used it seeing as the soft cloud she used as a bed did a very good job of getting her to sleep. "I'm gonna need these tonight." The pony mumbled to herself as she swallowed a few pills and went to lay down on her bed hoping to get a good night's rest. Though no matter how hard she tried she couldn't stop thinking about Gilda and the disastrous incident that had occurred only a few hours ago. "Why G? Why?" she whispered sadly before falling into an uneasy sleep.


	3. Chapter 3: Forgiveness?

**Chapter 3: Forgiveness?**

Much time had gone by since Gilda's departure and although Rainbow Dash's life had gotten better and she had grown closer to her friends and had even made some new ones, a small part of her still missed the company of the griffon that used to be her best friend. Every time she felt like trying to find her, she remembered how rotten Gilda had been during her brief stay at Ponyville and decided that she was better off without her. Gilda's feelings however, were far different.

Gilda had been living all on her own ever since she fled from Ponyville. She had no friends since her rude behavior towards Rainbow Dash and the other ponies, and she didn't dare go back to the place that she used to call home. Every time she thought about where she used to live, her anger rose immensely. She lived with her parents before she went to see Rainbow Dash, and those two griffons were even worse than Gilda herself. Even if she were to return just to the city that she used to live in, she'd be chased out. The griffons that lived in her city would certainly be unhappy to know that one of their own had befriended a pony. Gilda had experienced this first hand when she had tried to return to the kingdom of Grifforia, only to be met with an angry mob. It took quite a bit of fighting before Gilda could escape from the furious griffons. After that incident, Gilda was on her own and she lived by herself in a number of different areas, none of which were very pleasant. Gilda's life was steadily getting worse and worse by the day. With very little food and water combined with poor living conditions as well as total isolation, her life was about as bad as could be. However the griffon was determined not to let this bother her in the slightest.

"I don't need Rainbow Dash anymore." The brown and white griffon fiercely growled to herself. "I don't need anyone. I can be perfectly fine by myself." Despite her fierce tone, Gilda knew that that statement was a downright lie. She truly missed Rainbow Dash and she regretted all the things that she had done before. She couldn't help but think back to when she had first met the pony and how she had made the griffon happy for the first time in her life. Rainbow Dash was exactly what Gilda needed: a friend. Gilda knew that she had ruined that beautiful friendship over some stupid meaningless pranks. She'd let her anger get the best of her and now she was paying the price.

"No." she said to herself firmly. "Don't think like that. Guilt is for dweebs and I am not a dweeb!" Gilda tried as hard as she could to ignore the feelings of regret and shame of her actions but deep down she knew that what she did was wrong and she also knew that she had no chance of getting Rainbow Dash to like her again. "She hates me by now." Gilda said in a depressed yet firm tone. "Why should I go back to that lame town? She'd just reject me and I'd deserve it." She looked at the photograph again and felt a feeling of sadness the likes of which she hadn't felt since the first time she and Rainbow Dash were separated. The memory alone was painful. She was miserable before she met Rainbow Dash and now that Gilda had lost her, she was even more miserable than before. All of her memories of the rainbow maned pegasus, both the good and the bad, were becoming too much for the griffon to bear.

Gilda sniffled a bit as she finally broke down. "Oh who am I kidding?" she yelled, all thoughts of being cool having been long forgotten. Her fierce and determined personality which had weathered so many hardships, both before the griffon's visit to Ponyville and after, had finally died. Gilda was a lonely and miserable wreck, a shell of her former self. "I need to get her back. I have to get her to forgive me!" Gilda grabbed her bag and quickly flew off back to Ponyville. Because of how far away she was, Gilda knew that it would likely be nightfall by the time she arrived, but she didn't care. Gilda just kept flying as fast as her wings would allow. She may not have been as fast as Rainbow Dash, but she was pretty close. Soon enough the sky had gone from the pale blue of the day, to orange as the sun slowly set. and now it was the darkest shade of blue, showing that night had truly arrived. When the sky was getting close to turning pitch black, Gilda landed in the central area of Ponyville. She glanced around for a moment as she tried to get her bearings. She had only seen Ponyville in the daytime and even then she'd only been in the town for no more than a day. The few ponies that were still outside at this late hour either ignored or glared at Gilda. Her reputation was known by everypony around, as they'd either seen her outburst firsthand or heard about it from those who did, despite the incident having occurred long ago. Gilda however, paid them no mind as she was concentrating on finding her former friend. It took a few moments but soon she remembered how to get to Rainbow Dash's house. She hurried down the familiar path and sure enough she was right. She gazed upwards at the house or rather castle built out of clouds and gathered her courage. She flew up to the front door and knocked or at least knocked as best as she could. Clouds didn't really make the best doors for knocking.

Meanwhile inside that very same house, Rainbow Dash was getting ready for bed. She had had a few sleepless nights since Gilda's meltdown, but she was doing just fine now. She was about to go to sleep when she heard a knock on her door. Groaning a bit at being disturbed at such a late hour, she got out of her bed and slowly made her way to the door. "Probably just Pinkie Pie wanting to have another late night party I bet." She mumbled to herself, smiling a bit as she remembered the last time she went to one of those parties. Spike had passed out and his face landed right into a slice of cake, much to the amusement of the ponies around him. Rainbow Dash waited a bit before answering the knock so that she would have a straight face on before she pulled the door open. Rainbow Dash didn't know just how wrong she was. She opened the door and her jaw dropped in shock as she saw her former best friend Gilda the Griffon standing before her. The purple and pink eyes of the pegasus stared into the golden yellow eyes of the griffon for a few moments before Rainbow Dash finally broke the tense silence.

"Well Gilda I didn't think I'd see you here again." Rainbow Dash spat. She wasn't exactly pleased to see her former friend at her door since her last visit. "What did you call this place? Lame-o-ville?"

Gilda looked down towards the ground, feeling like she wasn't worthy to look Rainbow Dash in the eyes. In a small voice Gilda responded "Hey Dash long time no see heh." She gave a weak half hearted laugh and she immediately regretted it.

Rainbow Dash's eyes narrowed at the griffon's remark. "Don't give me that Gilda. You know I'm mad about what you did the last time you were here." She thought about slamming the door right then and there but felt that it would be better to listen to Gilda at least for now. _Comes back after treating my friends the way she did and doesn't even bother apologizing. _Rainbow Dash thought angrily. _She's lucky she used to be my friend. She needs a good kick in the tail and I have half the mind to give it to her._

Gilda barely looked up as she answered. "I know Dash. I was a total jerk. I have no excuse. Could you please forgive me?"

Rainbow Dash gazed down at her former friend. _Is she really trying to win me over?_ Rainbow Dash wondered. Despite everything she had seen Gilda do as well as everything she'd heard about later, Rainbow Dash desperately wanted to forgive Gilda and go back to the way things used to be. Unfortunately she couldn't be sure that Gilda was going to change. She didn't want Gilda hanging around her friends unless the griffon changed her attitude. With a sad yet firm look on her face, the pegasus responded.

"No Gilda. I can't forgive you." Rainbow Dash said. "You were way out of line. Even if Pinkie Pie did try to set you up to make you look bad, you were horrible. I just can't believe that my _best friend_ would be so mean. You may think that I'm the flip-flop who goes from cool to lame in a minute, but maybe you should look at yourself before saying things like that. Besides what about everything else you did? You scared Granny Smith! You stole an apple! You made Fluttershy cry!"

Gilda was hurt by the anger that she knew she deserved. Every accusation that was thrown at her felt like a punch in the gut. She couldn't bring herself to tell Rainbow Dash exactly why she did all those horrible things she mentioned, despite having a reason to scare the old mare as well as actually having paid for the apple. Somehow the griffon knew that Rainbow Dash wouldn't believe her excuses for a minute. Ignoring her friend's accusations, Gilda spoke in a pleading tone.

"But Rainbow Dash we were best friends. Please give me another chance. Please!" Gilda was actually begging Rainbow Dash, she was even on her knees! It was as if her entire life depended on Rainbow Dash forgiving her and in a way it almost did. Gilda's golden yellow eyes gave the pegasus a soul piercing gaze, as if she was desperately searching for any small bit of friendship or compassion that could have survived the griffon's actions. Rainbow Dash was certainly surprised that Gilda would beg her for forgiveness so desperately, but she still didn't think that she was going to change her attitude anytime soon. With a heavy heart she spoke to her former best friend the words that hurt her to say.

"No Gilda. I want to forgive you but I just can't." Rainbow Dash said as she lifted Gilda back to her feet and gave her a look that had some compassion and understanding but was still unyielding. "Maybe someday you really will change and maybe we could be friends again but not now. Good bye." Rainbow Dash closed the door, leaving a saddened and disheartened griffon alone on the other side. Rainbow Dash didn't exactly regret leaving Gilda alone, she just regretted that she didn't have any other choice. Ignoring Gilda was the only choice she had. She truly wanted to forgive the griffon, but Gilda just didn't seem willing to change her attitude, at least not yet. _So much for being the Element of Loyalty. _Rainbow Dash thought somberly. _I kick my best friend out of my life without giving her a chance to explain herself and now I reject her when she needs me. Element of Loyalty my tail._ She reached into the medicine cabinet and pulled out the sleeping pills. She glared at the bottle as if the medicine inside of it had done her some kind of harm.

"Every time that griffon shows up here I need to take these dumb pills." She grumbled in an irritated tone, as she filled a nearby glass with some water and swallowed a few of the pills. She laid down on her cloud that she used as a bed and tried not to think of Gilda, because if she did she'd have yet another sleepless night. She put her head down on her pillow and let the few stray tears in her eyes fall onto it.

"I'm sorry G." she whispered almost silently before she fell into another uneasy rest.

Meanwhile, Gilda stared at the door that her former best friend had closed in her face. With her white feathered head drooped downwards, she sadly flew from the clouds back to the ground and slowly walked away from her former best friend's house and towards a cliff overlooking a lake. She sat down and stared into the depths of the lake. She stared at her reflection in the cool clear water and spoke.

"She was right." Gilda mumbled in an ashamed voice. "I deserved every bit of that. I was a terrible friend." She felt the tears form in her eyes and she tried her hardest not to let them fall. "I will _not_ cry." Gilda said to herself. She had always been taught that crying was a sign of weakness and she was _not_ weak. "I will not cry. I will not cry. I will not cry." She repeated to herself as if that would somehow make it true but it was no use. Soon enough a tear fell from her eye, trickled down her face, and fell into the sparkling water below. Gilda stared at the spot where the tear fell and soon enough more followed. For the first time in a year Gilda the Griffon was crying. She prayed that nobody was around to see her in this weak state. Unfortunately for the griffon, there was someone there to see her. And it was the absolute last pony in all of Equestria that she wanted to see.

A small high pitched voice tentatively spoke.

"Gilda?" it said.

Gilda froze with sudden fear. She instantly recognized that voice. She _hated_ that voice. If there was one pony besides Rainbow Dash that had haunted her dreams ever since the day that she had left Ponyville, it was the one that was standing behind her right now. Gilda took a small quick glance behind her and she knew that she was right.

The pony standing behind her was none other than Pinkie Pie.


	4. Chapter 4: The Offer

**Chapter 4: The Offer**

Gilda quickly looked away from Pinkie Pie so that the pony wouldn't see her tears. She was not going to let anypony think that she was weak, especially not this one. If anyone was responsible for the griffon's only friendship being ruined aside from Gilda herself, this pink pony definitely played a part.

"What do you want Stinkie Pie?" Gilda growled angrily. She didn't really mean the insult, she just prayed that Pinkie Pie would take it as a hint and hopefully leave her alone. Gilda did not need the company of some dweeb, especially since this dweeb was the one that caused her to have that outburst in the first place. _If it hadn't been for this fuzzwad Rainbow Dash and I would still be friends._ Gilda thought angrily. She knew in her heart that she was the one who had ruined her friendship, but at the moment she didn't care.

Pinkie Pie however ignored the insult and kept on talking, much to the griffon's dismay. "Why are you crying Gilda?" she asked in a curious tone.

"I am _not_ crying Pinko!" Gilda angrily snarled, having wiped the tears from her eyes. The griffon turned to face the pink pony with a look of intense anger, but deep down she didn't mean it. Gilda didn't truly hate Pinkie Pie anymore. The griffon knew that it was her own fault that she lost Rainbow Dash. The only reason she glared at the pink pony was because she hoped that the angry look on her face would scare her off. Unfortunately for her, Pinkie Pie stood her ground and the two of them began to argue back and forth.

"Yes you are."

"No I'm not."

"Yes you are."

"No I'm not."

"Yes you are."

Gilda's golden yellow eyes glared into the bright blue eyes of Pinkie Pie which stared innocently, yet firmly back for a moment before Gilda finally gave up. The griffon knew that this petty fight was going nowhere. Both her and Pinkie Pie were starting to sound like immature foals.

"All right so maybe I am. Why would you care?" she snapped. "Last I checked, you and I weren't exactly friends."

Pinkie Pie had a strange look on her normally cheerful face. _What's wrong with her? _Gilda wondered. _Aside from everything I've already seen._

"Because silly," the pink pony answered, ignoring Gilda's scowl at being called silly. "I hate seeing anypon-err griffon" she amended. "cry. I want everyone to be happy. So what's wrong? You can tell me."

"No." Gilda said. "It's none of your business."

"Come on." Pinkie Pie pleaded. "I just wanna help."

Gilda was surprised by this._ I yell at her. I insult her. I ruin her party and she wants to help me._ Gilda thought. _Rainbow Dash has some weird friends._

"But why would you help me?" she asked in a curious tone, having dropped all attempts at scaring the pony off. _What pony in the right mind would help someone like me?_

Pinkie Pie looked at her and spoke in a rather off-putting serious tone. "I already told you I hate seeing anypony or griffon cry. I wanna help you even if you have been a Meany McMeanPants. Besides the whole reason I threw that party was to help you make friends. To turn that frown upside down. I didn't wanna split you and Rainbow Dash apart. That's not what parties are meant to do. That's not what _I'm_ meant to do." Pinkie Pie had a strange look on her face. It looked strangely like guilt.

Gilda looked at Pinkie Pie and for the first time in what seemed like an eternity, a part of her was warmed. A part that she felt was long since dead inside of her: her heart. To think that a pony that Gilda had been nothing short of cruel towards was offering to help her definitely touched Gilda's heart. However, while Gilda was touched by Pinkie Pie's generous offer she shook her head dejectedly.

"There's nothing you can do Pinkie." She responded in a defeated tone. "There's nothing anyone can do." _I've done too much to be forgiven. Even if this pony were to help it wouldn't matter. Rainbow Dash would still hate me. I don't deserve her. _Gilda's tone made it clear that she had given up on getting back on Rainbow Dash's good side. There was no more fight left in the griffon. None of the usual confidence that was strikingly similar her one time best friend's personality remained.

Pinkie Pie however didn't share the griffon's feelings one bit. With her usual optimism and her usual energetic tone, she responded.

"You never know unless you try."

Gilda looked at her and thought to herself. _Is she seriously trying to help me? After everything I put her through? After all of the insults and all of the threats? Maybe she's not so lame after all. Maybe just maybe she could help me get Dash to forgive me._

"Do you really want to help me?" Gilda asked. Pinkie Pie nodded her head a whole bunch of times to the point that Gilda was scared that it would fly right off her neck. "Well all right then but you need to know my story." the griffon said, hoping to drive Pinkie Pie away at the thought of being told someone's life story. She wanted Rainbow Dash back but she knew that she would have to tell Pinkie Pie the story of her life if the pony were to have a chance at helping her and she would much rather forget her life story completely. Even Rainbow Dash knew very little about Gilda's life before she attended Flight School.

Pinkie Pie however didn't seem to mind the thought of hearing Gilda's life story one bit. On the contrary she smiled brightly at the idea. She started bouncing all over the place in her excitement causing Gilda to fear for the safety of both of them.

"I love a good story. Especially the ones with happy endings." the pink pony cheered. She finally settled herself down and plopped herself on the ground. She stared eagerly at Gilda with her cheerful and energetic smile firmly in place.

Gilda grimaced as she replied. "Well, this story doesn't have a happy ending. Are you sure you want to hear it?" _If she doesn't leave then I'm stuck telling her things I'd rather forget._

Pinkie Pie nodded a bunch of times extremely fast once again. _I swear it's a miracle this pony's head is still on her shoulders. _Gilda thought.

"Well, all right." Gilda said, but in a firm tone she continued. "But unless I say so this is only between us you can't tell anyone." _If she spills the beans she'll know just how angry I can get. That time at the party was just a taste of what my anger is like._ Gilda thought to herself. She distinctly remembered the few times someone had pushed her over the edge. She definitely wasn't proud of what she did on either occasion. Both of those incidents were secrets that Gilda was going to take to her grave. Even Rainbow Dash never knew about Gilda's darkest moments. Pinkie Pie agreed to keep Gilda's story a secret.

"Cross my heart hope to fly stick a cupcake in my eye." She said in an innocent tone complete with a sweet smile.

Gilda was extremely confused by what she considered such a bizarre statement but from the look on Pinkie's face she was being honest and would keep everything she heard a secret. _She better keep my story a secret._ Gilda thought angrily. However despite her anger, she kept herself quite calm as she started to speak.


	5. Chapter 5: Gilda's Tale

**Chapter 5: Gilda's Tale**

"It all started when I was young." Gilda began. "My parents told me that making friends wasn't important if it got in the way of my success."

Gilda had a flashback to when she first heard that she was going to Flight School. A much smaller version of Gilda the Griffon was pleading with her parents.

"But mother." Gilda said in a pleading tone. "I don't want to go to Flight School. Nobody will like me."

"And all for the better Gilda." Her mother, a griffon with a light brown swift and agile body similar to Gilda's but with a head that was a different shade of white than her daughter's, replied firmly. "Having friends would only drag you down."

"But I want to have friends." Gilda begged. Couldn't her parents see how lonely she was? She was miserable enough already since her parents drove away the few griffons in her town who would have been her friend. Now to make matters worse she was getting sent to a school where every student and teacher was a pony, and the only place she'd find a griffon was in a textbook.

"Enough Gilda." her father, a more muscular griffon with a dark brown body and white feathered head with golden yellow eyes, interrupted sternly. "Your mother is right. Having friends isn't as important as being a great flier."

"But." Gilda began, trying to plead her case to her parents, but it was no use.

"ENOUGH!" both of her parents shouted in unison with looks of intense anger on their faces. Gilda was terrified beyond her wits. Her parents were really angry with her now. Gilda's body started quivering with fear. She didn't want to be punished. Every time she was punished it was always extremely painful. If she ever tried to disobey her parents in even the smallest ways possible, she was always the victim of a merciless beating. She still had nightmares of her parents attacking her whenever she slept.

"Gilda enough of this nonsense." Her mother said firmly. "You are going to Flight School and that's that."

"But what if I'm a terrible flier?" Gilda asked nervously.

"You better not be." Her father said sternly with a nasty look on his face. It was as if he'd like nothing better than to punch Gilda right then and there for even suggesting that she'd be a bad flier. "You better come back to us as top of the class nothing less. Clear?" Her parents glared down at Gilda as she muttered a weak assurance and nodded. All she wanted in life was a good friend, but her parents made sure that she never had one, and Gilda didn't want to be punished by her parents again.

"Good." Her mother responded. "Now come along or you'll be late." Gilda reluctantly followed her mother and father out of the house and she was soon on her way to Flight School. She knew that this wasn't going to go well for her.

Pinkie Pie was in a state of total shock. She had always thought that Gilda was mean, but the griffon had been bullied by her parents her whole life. She could only listen with wide eyes and a gaping mouth as Gilda continued her sad and tragic tale.

"Then I went to Flight School and everything went from bad to worse." Gilda said, while trying to keep tears from forming in her eyes. _I'm already trying not to cry?_ Gilda wondered. _I must have really gone soft because this isn't even the worst part._

"But why?" Pinkie Pie asked her in a muffled voice. She was munching on some popcorn while she was listening to the griffon's story. Where she got the popcorn Gilda didn't know, but she was definitely annoyed.

_If this pony wasn't trying to help me win Dash over I would have rammed that bucket of popcorn up her hindquarters sideways by now. _Gilda thought angrily. However, she restrained herself from lashing out. She didn't want to scare Pinkie Pie away anymore, seeing as the pink pony was so determined to help Gilda get back on Rainbow Dash's good side.

"Listen Pinkie." She said seriously, while looking the pony right in the eyes. "When you're a griffon at a school full of ponies you stand out and not in a good way."

Pinkie Pie listened intently as Gilda went on to explain that almost all the ponies either ignored her or teased her. She was a total outcast at school for the first week of classes, which was really just orientation, and she was miserable. Just like she'd thought there wasn't a single griffon in sight unless she opened a book. Everypony that Gilda had met at Flight School had some strange bias towards her. Even the teachers seemed to treat her with cold indifference.

"But then everything changed when I met Rainbow Dash." Gilda said. _The only pony that ever cared for me until I drove her away. _she thought miserably.

Gilda had another flashback. This time it was of the day that she met Rainbow Dash. The small griffon moped through the halls of Flight School, not paying attention to where she was going and as a result of such, she bumped into somepony and fell backwards onto the floor.

"Oh man I'm so sorry. Please forgive me." Gilda stammered. She was already a total outcast at the school, she didn't need a fight on top of that, and on the first day of real classes no less.

The pony turned and offered a helping hoof to Gilda, which she gratefully accepted. The pony effortlessly pulled Gilda back up off the floor and onto her feet. Gilda got a good look at the pony that stood before her and noticed her pale blue body with her rainbow colored mane and tail. Her wings, while not fully developed, were still amazing. This pony would definitely be a good, no, an awesome flier. The pony looked at Gilda and decided to introduce herself.

"Hey. What's your name?" she asked.

"I'm Gilda." the griffon responded nervously. "What's your name?"

"I'm Rainbow Dash. Fastest pony ever." The light blue pegasus proudly declared. "Or soon will be." she added.

"The humble type huh?" Gilda said sarcastically. This pony was getting on her nerves already. Gilda hated the proud and arrogant type more than any other kind of pony. This school was full of obnoxious, smug, stuck up ponies who thought that they could fly flawlessly without even trying. They were also the ones that gave her some of the worst treatment.

"A pony's got to have her pride." Rainbow Dash said confidently.

"I wish I had your confidence Rainbow Dash." Gilda replied in a small voice.

"Aww c'mon you can't be that bad." The light blue pony replied giving Gilda a friendly shove, which caused the griffon to flinch a little. After her first miserable week at Flight School, Gilda had come to expect much worse.

"Doesn't matter how good I am, an outcast is still an outcast." Gilda replied gloomily.

"Oh c'mon you're not an outcast. I think you're kinda cool." Rainbow Dash told her.

"R-really?" Gilda stuttered in an amazed tone. "_You_ think _I'm_ cool?" Maybe she was wrong about this pony. Maybe Rainbow Dash wasn't as arrogant as Gilda had thought a moment ago.

"Well, of course." Rainbow Dash replied honestly. "I mean look at you. You've got awesome written all over you." She gazed admiringly at Gilda's wings, claws, and body as if Gilda was the most impressive thing that she'd ever seen.

Gilda blushed heavily and despite her feathers, she was certain that some of the blush had shown on her face. This was the first time in her life that anyone had ever complimented her and honestly meant it. After Gilda had thanked Rainbow Dash for the compliment, the light blue pegasus asked the griffon for her schedule and Gilda showed it to her.

"Oh dear Celestia." Rainbow Dash exclaimed in an excited tone. "We have the same schedule."

Gilda looked at her new friend's schedule, and sure enough it was exactly the same as hers. The duo had the same classes and the same lunch period. They were even staying the same cabin.

"This will be great." Rainbow Dash declared. "I can't wait to see what kind of stunts you can pull off."

"Be careful what you wish for Dash." Gilda responded playfully, having gained some much needed newfound confidence from the compliment that she had received. "You may be the fastest _pony_ ever but you might get beaten by a griffon."

"Is that a challenge?" Rainbow Dash asked with fake anger in her voice, though the grin on her face gave her away.

"Only if you want to make it one." Gilda replied confidently. This pony looked like the competitive type, and Gilda was starting to get in the mood for a little challenge. The compliment from before had certainly done her some good.

"We'll see who's the fastest soon enough." Rainbow Dash proudly stated. She glanced down at her schedule and grinned mischievously. "Our first class is a bit far away. You want to make a race out of it? Loser buys lunch." She gave Gilda a glance, wondering if she'd take up the challenge.

"You're on." Gilda replied confidently. Her attitude had certainly changed quickly. They shook on it and prepared themselves. Gilda and Rainbow Dash looked at each other.

"On three." Rainbow Dash said. "One. Two. Three!" And with that the race had begun and so had their friendship. The duo sprinted through the halls until they came upon a large crowd of other students, which they simply flew over. They were neck and neck and had reached the classroom door before the teacher had even unlocked it. As a matter of fact, the teacher wasn't even in the same hallway as them by the time the race was up. The duo argued back and forth about which of them won the race until the teacher showed up and told them to put an end to the bickering.

"So who won?" Pinkie Pie asked eagerly. She kept shoveling popcorn into her mouth and she was enthralled by Gilda's story. Gilda had never seen anypony be so interested in listening to her speak, and she blushed just a tiny bit.

"Actually I don't know." Gilda replied. "We just called it a draw and bought each other lunch."

Gilda and Rainbow Dash became even closer friends the longer they knew each other. Rainbow Dash may have been Gilda's only friend, but that didn't matter to the griffon. She didn't need dozens of friends, she just needed a few really good ones. The pegasus and the griffon were more than just friends, they were inseparable. Gilda paused telling her story for a moment, wondering if she should tell Pinkie Pie about a certain incident that made the griffon realize just how great of a friend Rainbow Dash was. However she decided against it, feeling that it'd be best to protect Rainbow Dash's privacy as much as she could. _That's a story that I know Dash would rather forget. _Gilda thought. _I know I wish I could forget that day._ Gilda continued on with her story, and explained how she and Rainbow Dash had grown close over time. Six months went by in the blink of an eye and soon enough they were faced with the most anticipated and dreaded time of the year: Mid Terms.

"What's so bad about Mid Terms?" Pinkie Pie asked curiously. She was slurping a drink through a straw now, and just like her popcorn she seemed to have gotten the drink out of nowhere.

"Your score on the Mid Terms decides your classes for the rest of the year." Gilda explained. "If you pass the Mid Terms you get to take advanced classes. If you fail you have to wait until next year. Almost everypony who failed dropped out to avoid being mocked."

The Mid Terms were unlike any other test Gilda had taken during Flight School. Instead of taking it alone, she was with a randomly picked partner. And as luck would have it she was partnered with Rainbow Dash. Every pair had a month to prepare themselves before they were picked in a random order to be tested. They had to wait for days while other pairs took their turns. The two of them strategized and by the time it was their turn they were ready. They were the final pair to take their test. They needed a score of eighty percent each or better to get into the advanced classes but if one of them failed then they both would fail even if the other had a flawless performance. Their teacher had mentioned that as far as anypony knew, no pairing had ever gotten a perfect score on the test. This immediately sparked desire in both Gilda and Rainbow Dash. Getting a perfect score could be just what they needed. If Rainbow Dash earned a perfect score then she might be able to join the Wonderbolts when she was older and if Gilda earned a perfect score then she would have proven herself to all those smug ponies that had doubted her abilities simply because she was a griffon. Needless to say, they were eager to prove just how good they were. They trained as hard as they could every day before the Mid Terms took place. They knew that they each would be judged on Creativity, Daring, Teamwork, Style, and Landing. Each category would be worth twenty points. If they got a perfect combined score of two hundred then they would have set a record. Finally the day arrived. All the other pairs had taken their test and now it was Rainbow Dash and Gilda's turn. They waited in a small tent for a teacher to allow them to enter the stadium. Both the griffon and the pegasus turned to each other.

"Good Luck Gilds." said Rainbow Dash in a confident tone. She had used the pet name that she'd made for Gilda which caused the griffon to blush heavily.

"Right back at ya Dashie." Gilda replied just as confidently, using her own pet name for Rainbow Dash. The pegasus blushed a light shade of pink at being referred to by that nickname. Gilda bumped her fist against Rainbow Dash's hoof and the teacher said that it was time for them to enter the stadium.

They walked out into the stadium where they'd perform their stunts. They looked around at the stands which were filled with students, families, and teachers. Gilda saw that her parents were among the crowd and noticed that they were watching her intently. Gilda knew that her parents saw her, so she gave a curt nod to them which they returned. Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash had noticed that an official looking pony wearing Wonderbolts styled clothing was among the crowd, possibly she was looking for new recruits. The duo looked at the judges, who gave them the signal that they could begin whenever they were ready. There was no need for them to rush.

Rainbow Dash and Gilda got themselves prepared, gave each other a quick nod, and took off into the air to put their moves to the test. Rainbow Dash flew high and gathered speed leaving a rainbow colored trail in her wake. Using that trail, she flew and created a heart in the sky. Gilda meanwhile remained closer to the ground and was gaining her speed with a trail of fire following her every move behind her. She flew straight through the heart like an arrow and the fire followed her perfectly. The crowd gasped at the stunning display but the duo was far from finished. They flew towards opposite ends of the stadium and flew in circles to gain speed while their trails increased in size and strength. Then they lunged towards each other and the crowd was on the edge of their seats thinking that the two of them were about to collide, but Rainbow Dash and Gilda grabbed on to each other and spun around and around and around. They let go and flew high into the air with their trails following behind them. They circled each other in midair and the rainbow trail began to intertwine with the flaming trail. They flew down at breakneck speeds and just before they hit the ground, they did a complete 180 and flew straight back up and then in the air passed right by each other. The rainbow trail hit the flame trail and the two trails exploded into a shimmering array of multicolored sparks. The crowd was really getting into it now. There was cheering and applause all around the stadium. Rainbow Dash and Gilda looked at each other and nodded to confirm that it was time for the Grand Finale.

The two of them flew faster than ever. Mach cones surrounded both of their bodies as they flew high into the air. They started flying in seemingly haphazard patterns and their trails continued to follow them. They flew in such a graceful manner that one couldn't help but be in awe of their performance. When the crowd saw what the trails had made they were beside themselves with cheering. Rainbow Dash had used her rainbow trail to create a replication of Gilda in the sky while Gilda had used her flaming trail to create a replication of Rainbow Dash right next to it. After this the two of them flew downwards spinning in circles all the while. Rainbow Dash was surrounded by a Rainbow Cyclone while Gilda was surrounded by a Flaming Cyclone. When the two cyclones had settled, the crowd saw Rainbow Dash and Gilda standing perfectly side by side. The cheering was deafening. Rainbow Dash and Gilda looked at each other and nodded. They signaled to the judges that they had finished and now they had to wait for their scores to be given.

The wait was agonizing but finally the judges asked for everypony in the stadium to turn their attention to the screen that was opposite of the Judges' Table. The screen was split into two segments. The left side had Rainbow Dash's name and scores while the right side had Gilda's scores. The first score to be shown was Creativity. They held their breath and waited. Soon enough Rainbow Dash's score for Creativity flashed twenty out of twenty points. Not even a second afterwards Gilda's score showed the same. Next was Daring. They waited for another moment and just like before both Rainbow Dash and Gilda had earned twenty points. The same happened for Teamwork and Style. So now it was down to Landing. This was what got them worried. They didn't know if the judges would dock points for not being able to see their full landing due to the mini cyclones that surrounded them. Unlike with the previous four categories which had displayed their scores immediately, the numbers showing their scores for Landing slowly went up starting at zero just to add to the suspense of the situation. The duo drew close together as they watched the numbers go up past five, then ten, and then fifteen. The scores reached nineteen and for one heart stopping moment both the pegasus and the griffon were afraid that they hadn't done everything that they needed to do, but after a brief moment both Rainbow Dash and Gilda's scores for Landing were at twenty points each. The duo sat in pure shock inside the completely silent stadium.

"We passed the test." Rainbow Dash said in a hushed voice.

"And we got a perfect score." Gilda continued. They looked at each other and immediately began cheering while the audience broke into applause. They did it. They had set a record. They were so proud of themselves. Even the judges were applauding with enthusiasm. They were so elated that they hugged each other, not caring who was watching.

"We did it!" Rainbow Dash screamed. Her purple and pink eyes streaming with tears of joy.

"We set the record!" Gilda shouted. She herself was also crying tears of happiness. The judges walked down from their table to personally congratulate Rainbow Dash and Gilda by shaking hoofs with them. Soon afterwards a nerdy male student with glasses, who happened to have a crush on Rainbow Dash, appeared holding a camera asking for a photograph for the yearbook for when they graduated. The duo agreed and they wrapped their forelegs around each other with broad grins on their faces as the pony snapped their picture.

"This is certainly a moment to remember." A voice said.

The duo turned and noticed the principal of the School. She shook hoofs with both of them and gave them her most heartfelt congratulations. This just made the moment much sweeter, as she was not easily impressed. Rainbow Dash and Gilda were so happy to have gotten the perfect score. All of their hard work and practice had really paid off. Now they could relax until the next semester since they had a one week break before classes resumed.

"Wow that's amazing." Pinkie Pie exclaimed. "You two sounded awesome." She gave Gilda a glance of what seemed very much like admiration. It was as if Pinkie Pie really looked up to the griffon for being able to perform those stunts.

Gilda gave her a sad little smile. "Unfortunately Pinkie it's all downhill from here." She said. _Downhill is definitely an understatement. Everything that happened after that day was a complete disaster._

The day before classes resumed, Gilda and Rainbow Dash got their schedules. Since they were in advanced classes they'd be going to the larger campus that had dorm buildings. They'd be in classes with the older students who were far more skilled than the younger ones. The older students were unofficially called the Senior Speedsters due to their skills. Rainbow Dash and Gilda felt that since they had done so well together, naturally they'd be in the same classes and possibly they'd even be roommates. Every pair that earned excellent scores were usually put in the same classes. To their shock and horror however, they found that they had none of the same classes together. They desperately tried to persuade the principal to let them be together but it didn't work out.

"I'm sorry girls." The principal said. "But we've received a special request after the Mid Terms that the two of you should remain separate."

"But who wanted us separated?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I can't say who requested it and unfortunately there is nothing I can do to keep you two together."

"But you saw our performance." Gilda nearly shouted. "You saw how well we worked together."

"Yeah I mean we got a perfect score. That's never been done in well EVER." Rainbow Dash exclaimed at the same volume as Gilda.

"Like I said girls I'm sorry but I cannot help you."

Rainbow Dash and Gilda left the principal's office in a state of pure sadness.

"Who would want to keep us apart?" Rainbow Dash demanded, her eyes filled with angry tears.

Gilda suddenly realized who it was and her expression darkened as she thought about it.

"My parents." She growled in a voice filled with venom.

"But why would they do that? I know they want you to do well, but we were awesome together." Rainbow Dash said in an exasperated voice.

"They always said that friends would drag me down." Gilda replied sadly.

"That's just not right." Rainbow Dash angrily declared.

"I know but let's try to make the best of it." Gilda muttered.

"No." Rainbow Dash said in a firm tone. "I don't want to be in those classes without you. If it wasn't for you I wouldn't be there."

"Dash don't do anything reckless." Gilda warned. "I don't want to be separated from you but I'd hate to see you get in trouble for me."

"Gilda, being here without you would be a boring waste of my time." Rainbow Dash replied.

"But we'll still be able to see each other I bet." Gilda said hopefully.

"Nope." Rainbow Dash said sadly. "Look at our dorm rooms."

Gilda looked at the paper she had gotten and learned which building she'd be living in for the remainder of her time at the School. Rainbow Dash's building was on the opposite end of the campus.

"With the way everything's been set up we won't see each other until graduation and honestly I don't even want to bother going through another three and a half years at this place without my best friend." And with that Rainbow Dash went back into the principal's office. Gilda listened at the door and she heard the conversation clearly.

"If you don't change the schedule so that Gilda and I can be together then I'm dropping out." Rainbow Dash fiercely stated.

"I can't do anything about it Rainbow Dash. If I could then I'd have done it in a heartbeat but sadly I have no say in the matter." said the principal.

"Then I guess this is good bye." said Rainbow Dash.

"You're leaving?" The principal was astounded.

"Yep. I'm not going to waste three and a half years here without my best friend. Good bye." said Rainbow Dash in a firm voice. She then walked out of the door and approached Gilda.

"I'm sorry Gilds." Rainbow Dash whispered in a soft voice using the pet name again, which she only did on rare occasions. "but this is what I think is right."

Gilda's golden yellow eyes looked into Rainbow Dash's pink and purple eyes which gazed right back at her for what seemed like an eternity until the duo decided to speak.

"Good bye Rainbow Dash." Gilda said in a depressed tone.

"Good bye Gilda." Rainbow Dash replied just as sadly.

The two of them embraced in one last hug as they both let stray tears fall from their eyes and on to each other's bodies. Then Gilda watched her best friend, and quite possibly the best flier she ever met, walk out the doors never to return.

"Aww that's so sad." Pinkie Pie wailed with tears pouring down her face. She had long since finished her popcorn and drink. She was beside herself with sobbing after hearing how Gilda and Rainbow Dash got separated. Her entire body was shaking from crying so much.

"It only gets worse from here Pinkie." Gilda said, barely keeping herself from tears. _Don't cry._ She told herself mentally. _Don't you dare cry._ Seeing how upset Pinkie Pie already was, Gilda decided to speak. "If you want me to stop talking I will." Gilda was more concerned for Pinkie Pie's emotions than her own pride. Being seen as 'cool' hardly mattered to her anymore now that she had lost her best friend.

Pinkie Pie choked out a few more sobs but stayed right where she was and allowed Gilda to continue with her story.

_I guess I was wrong about old Pinkie._ Gilda thought._ I guess she's not so lame. Maybe she'll help me win Dash over. Maybe._

Gilda's remaining three and a half years at the Academy passed without any great incident. Gilda told Pinkie Pie that she was in isolation while she was at school. Nopony cared that she was part of the team with the perfect score. To them she was nothing without Rainbow Dash and for once Gilda agreed with them. The teasing and bullying had only gotten worse. All of the ponies were incredibly cruel. With Rainbow Dash gone, Gilda had nopony to defend her anymore. The situation caused Gilda to gain her new attitude that the residents of Ponyville were all too familiar with. By the time she graduated, she was top of the class just like her parents wanted and thoroughly miserable. Every teacher had congratulated her but Gilda didn't care. Each and every one of those teachers didn't mean any of the hollow compliments that they gave Gilda. They had just as much of a bias towards griffons as the students did. School was over and she had packed the very few things that she owned in her dorm room and headed back to her "home".

"Welcome Home Gilda!" Her parents cheered as soon as she opened the door. They were clapping for her but Gilda wasn't in the mood for it. She was angry and miserable already. She didn't need any "praise" from two griffons who didn't care about her happiness as long as they could have their pride.

"You made top of the class dear just like we knew you would." her mother said with more pride than Gilda thought possible for one griffon to have.

"That's my girl!" her father cheered. He held a package in his hands and he handed it to Gilda.

It was a wooden plaque. Clear glass covered the diploma which bore her name as well as the title of Best Flier of the Class. Gilda glared angrily at the plaque and then she slammed it down to the floor. The glass covering the diploma shattered upon impact with the floor, and immediately afterwards Gilda brought her front paw down on the wooden base, splitting it apart.

"Gilda what in the name of Grifforia are you doing?!" her father yelled in a shocked and enraged tone.

"Aren't you proud of being top of the class?" her mother asked.

"PROUD?!" an infuriated Gilda yelled. "I'm ashamed!" She roared right in her parents' faces and they backed away from her. They were shocked. For the first time in her life, Gilda was standing up for herself against her parents. In an enraged tone, Gilda continued her speech.

"I don't care about some dumb plaque or some useless title. I never wanted to be the best flier. I don't even deserve to be called the best. The best flier of our class is my best friend Rainbow Dash. At least until you got her to drop out."

"And good riddance too." Her father yelled.

"That mule was a bad influence on you. You needed to leave her behind to really shine." Her mother scolded.

"MULE?!" Gilda roared in a voice filled with fury. "Rainbow Dash is no mule. She is a pony and she's the only living creature to ever show me any compassion, respect, or kindness. Something that YOU haven't done for me ever since I was born. She was there for me every day when you weren't. She picked me up when I was down and made me feel like I was important. She showed me what it was like to be cared for. While all you cared about was boosting your own egos, she cared about boosting my confidence, my self worth, and my happiness. If you really wanted me to be the best then you must have noticed how well we worked together in the Mid Terms!"

"That was once." her father argued.

"Soon enough she would have dragged you down." her mother insisted.

"You act like you know me." Gilda screeched. "You don't know ANYTHING about me!" She gave her parents one last glare, then she spat on the shattered remains of her plaque and stormed off into her room, slamming the door behind her with her tail.

About a week later, Gilda was still furious with her parents. She'd also done something terrible as a result of her anger and an obnoxious griffon giving her some insults that were far beyond what Gilda could ignore. Her pillow was stained with tears of remorse over the actions that she knew would haunt her for the rest of her life. The door to her room was opened and her mother appeared with an annoyed expression on her face.

"You have a package." She said curtly. She tossed a small box towards Gilda. "It's probably your replacement plaque." She slammed the door behind her. Gilda glared at the closed door for a moment then turned her attention to the package. It was the same size as the plaque that she had destroyed the other day, so maybe her mother was right and it was her replacement plaque. She was about to toss the box out the window when she noticed what was written on it.

"To Gilda The Griffon, from, Rainbow Dash."

Gilda was shocked. What could Rainbow Dash have sent her? How could she have sent her anything? Gilda never mentioned where she lived. Putting her confusion aside, Gilda opened the box and saw the back of a picture frame and a note. Gilda decided to read the note before looking at the picture.

_Dear Gilda,_

_It's been so long since I've seen you. I read in the Grifforia newspaper that you were named top flier of the class. I'd congratulate you but I know you miss me and you don't want to hear praise for staying at Flight School after I left. Anyway I felt that you'd need something to cheer you up. Remember that nerdy photographer pony? I went a date with him and in return he gave me this photo. He says that this is the only copy there is. I did want to keep it but I think that you need and deserve it a lot more than I do. I hope you like it. By the way if you ever wanna talk just drop by my new place._

_ Stay Awesome,  
>Rainbow Dash<br>_

Gilda flipped the picture frame over and she was astonished at what she saw. It was a framed photograph of her and Rainbow Dash with their forelegs around each other, smiling in celebration for having gotten a perfect score on the Mid Terms. They both looked tired but very pleased with themselves. Receiving such a thoughtful gift tugged at Gilda's heart. Rainbow Dash really was a great friend. As Gilda stared at the picture she did something that she hadn't done since then. She smiled. It was the first real smile that her face had worn in years. It had been so long since she smiled that it almost felt unnatural. It even felt a little bit painful. But almost as quickly as she had gained her smile, it was replaced by a small frown.

"Oh Dashie." Gilda whispered with sorrow in her voice. "If only I could be with you." She glanced at the box and saw the return address. Apparently Rainbow Dash lived in some town called Ponyville.

"Well then I think I'd better drop in and pay a visit." Gilda decided. She memorized her friend's address, then she put the photograph and note in the box, and put the box in a small leather bag which she strung over her back. Gilda then walked out of her bedroom without a backwards glance and headed towards the front door.

"And just where do you think you're going young lady?"

Gilda turned and saw her parents. Both of them had looks of intense anger on their faces. Gilda meanwhile, had a smirk on her face as she responded.

"I'm going to see my best friend Rainbow Dash." she declared. "That package wasn't another dumb plaque. It was a reminder of how stupid I was to let you control my life for this long. Good bye."

"Oh please soon enough you'll come right back here." her father said in an arrogant tone.

"Oh I'll be back." Gilda assured him quietly before she exclaimed. "To grab all my stuff and move it to my new place!" With the last word, Gilda flung the door open, ran out of the house, and took to the skies. Her parents tried to follow her, but she was far away from the house before they could even get into the air so they gave up. Gilda flew and left her parents' house as well as her town and the entire kingdom of Grifforia behind as she sped off towards Equestria and more specifically Ponyville. Soon enough she landed in what looked like the town square. She was getting some very curious looks from the ponies around her. Griffons weren't a common sight in Equestria after all. Gilda paid them no mind as she looked at the box that held Rainbow Dash's present and read the return address. It said that Rainbow Dash's house was a cloud castle somewhere in the sky. Gilda took to the air and searched for her best friend's home.

Gilda found the cloud castle after only a few minutes of flying and she flew to the front door and to her surprise it was unlocked. She opened the door and waited in the main room not bothering to explore any other parts of the house out of respect for Rainbow Dash's privacy. The only reason Gilda was waiting inside the house instead of outside was to surprise her friend with her visit. A few hours later, the griffon's patience paid off as she saw the door slowly open. As she watched the door open, Gilda's anticipation was growing rapidly. She was finally going to see her best friend once again after three and a half years apart. Rainbow Dash walked into her house, not knowing the surprise that waited for her. She unknowingly had her back turned towards Gilda, and was mumbling something about wishing her best friend was there with her.

"If you wanna see your wish granted Dashie, maybe you should turn around." Gilda said, with a little mischief in her voice. She used the pet name just to perk Rainbow Dash's interest. As far as Gilda knew, she was the only one who ever called Rainbow Dash 'Dashie'.

Rainbow Dash turned to face Gilda, and once her brain registered that the griffon was really there, her face split into a wide smile.

"GILDA!" she screamed. The pegasus flew straight at the griffon and gave her a hug with so much enthusiasm that she knocked Gilda over causing both of them to tumble onto the floor, laughing wildly.

"Good to see you haven't gone soft on me Dashie." Gilda joked, as she threw her forelegs around the pegasus pony and held her in a warm embrace. It was heaven for Gilda to be hugged by her best friend. To be held by somepony that really deeply cared for her was a feeling that she just couldn't describe.

The two friends spent the rest of the day swapping stories, telling jokes, and enjoying each other's company. This was happiness at it's best for the two of them. Finally being reunited after having spent so long apart filled them with more joy than anything else.

"And well you know the rest don't you Pinkie?" Gilda said.

Pinkie Pie nodded, except without her usual energy. She was barely keeping herself from shedding more tears as she remembered how Gilda and Rainbow Dash got split apart. The memory was even more painful than before when she realized how much of a part she played in causing the two friends to have that argument.

"I guess I should tell you that I was only mean to you and the others because I thought that Rainbow Dash wouldn't need me if she had friends like you." Gilda explained. "She was the only friend I had and I thought she was the only one I'd need. I tricked myself into thinking that she felt the same way about me. That's why I was so mean to you and every other pony in this town. I was an idiot and I'd do anything to make it up to her."

Pinkie Pie suddenly ran straight towards Gilda and hugged her.

"Pinkie what are you doing?" Gilda nearly yelled or rather she would have yelled but Pinkie Pie was almost crushing her. The strength of her hug could have put a manticore to shame. _Is she trying to strangle me?_ Gilda thought. _No, that's not it. She's giving me a hug? Why would she hug me? I was horrible to her._

Pinkie Pie was sobbing all over Gilda and her voice shook as she answered. "All this time I thought you were a Meany McMeanPants, but you just need a friend."

"You want to be my friend?" Gilda asked, in the same uncertain tone she used when she asked Rainbow Dash if she really thought she was cool, all those years ago.

"Of course silly." said Pinkie Pie after she wiped the tears from her eyes. She stared up at Gilda as she continued. "I can't let anyone live without friends. I'll help you get Rainbow Dash back if you want."

This was exactly what Gilda needed to hear. She might not have liked Pinkie Pie before, but her being willing to help Gilda get back the only friend she ever had certainly made the pony better in Gilda's eyes. Gilda couldn't believe what she was about to do.

"Thanks Pinkie." Gilda whispered, as she hugged Pinkie Pie in return, not caring how "uncool" she looked. Pinkie Pie might not be Rainbow Dash, but she was still a friend. She was one friend more than Gilda had. _So this is what it feels like to have friends._ Gilda thought. It felt good for Gilda to be held in a warm embrace, even if she wasn't being held by her best friend Rainbow Dash. _I could get used to this. _the griffon thought._ Still no pony will ever be the same as Dash._ Rainbow Dash hasn't forgiven Gilda yet, and if the griffon knew anything about the pegasus pony, she knew it would take quite a bit for her attitude towards Gilda to change. Pinkie Pie invited Gilda to live with her until she found her own place and Gilda politely accepted. The duo walked off to Pinkie Pie's house for some sleep.


	6. Chapter 6: Planning

**Chapter 6: Planning**

Pinkie Pie persuaded, or rather forced Gilda to sleep on the bed, insisting that a guest of hers should never sleep on the floor.

"But what about you Pinkie?" Gilda asked. She didn't want Pinkie Pie to be uncomfortable. Experience had taught her to value whatever friends she had.

"I'll be fine. Just try to get some sleep. Tomorrow's gonna be a big day." The pink pony replied in her cheerful voice, as she settled herself down on a bundle of blankets that she would use as a bed. Then she covered her body up with another blanket and closed her light blue eyes.

Before Gilda could ask Pinkie Pie what she meant by that, the party pony fell asleep and Gilda herself fell asleep soon after. The bed that she was sleeping in might not have been as good as Rainbow Dash's clouds, but it was still a lot more comfortable than sleeping on the cold hard ground, which was what the griffon had been doing ever since she left Ponyville. Gilda had her first peaceful sleep in a very long time. The next morning, Gilda awoke feeling extremely well rested. Glancing around at her surroundings as if to assure herself that it wasn't a dream, Gilda got out of bed and stretched her wings a bit. She was just about to go outside for a quick flight when she saw Pinkie Pie bouncing around in the kitchen, making breakfast.

"Well, good morning sleepyhead." Pinkie Pie said with a giggle as she noticed Gilda. Her cheery personality was as present as usual. She just kept cooking whatever it was that she was making.

"Oh hey Pinkie." Gilda greeted the pink pony. Ever since the previous night, Gilda had been a lot friendlier with Pinkie Pie. She was really starting to regret being so abusive towards her. Not only was Pinkie Pie offering to help Gilda get her best friend back, but she was also a lot nicer than Gilda thought. "I was just gonna go for a quick flight." the griffon told her new friend.

Pinkie Pie giggled again and said. "Oh Gilda you're not going flying today."

"Well why not?" Gilda asked while narrowing her eyes. Flying was important to griffons like Gilda so denying her the right to fly was like denying her the right to breathe.

"Did you forget?" Pinkie Pie asked in an energetic tone with yet another giggle. "Today's the day I'm gonna help you get Rainbow Dash back as your best friend."

"T-today?!" Gilda shrieked in a panicked tone. "Do you really think she'll forgive me this soon?"

Pinkie Pie gave her a calming smile and placed a reassuring foreleg around Gilda before speaking. "Don't worry Gilda. Today we're only going to think about how we're going to get you two back together."

Gilda breathed a sigh of relief. "By the way where is Dash?" she wondered.

"Oh she's on cloud control." Pinkie Pie answered. "She's really really really really good at it."

Gilda and Pinkie Pie sat down at the table. Gilda ate the breakfast Pinkie Pie had provided. She didn't even ask what Pinkie Pie had made. Every bit of it was mouthwateringly delicious and Gilda loved every bite of it. She'd never eaten anything so tasty in such a long time. Pinkie Pie's breakfast tasted much better than the berries that Gilda had been surviving off of for the past year.

"So how am I going to get Rainbow Dash to forgive me?" Gilda asked after the two of them had finished their meal and washed their plates.

"You could always bake her a cake. That works for me when I want to cheer ponies up." the pink pony replied in her usual cheerful voice.

"No way." Gilda replied whilst shaking her head. "You do not want me baking anything. Almost everything I put in the oven becomes a fireball and anything that could be eaten would send anypony running for the bathroom."

Pinkie Pie fought the urge to laugh at what she thought was a joke and instead stayed silent and tried to brainstorm another idea. She needed an idea that didn't involve food. All of a sudden she had an idea, but she knew that Gilda wasn't going to like it.

"I have an idea but you're gonna hate me for this." Pinkie Pie said. The party pony tried to brace herself for the inevitable explosion that would be Gilda's anger. Despite her optimism, Pinkie Pie wasn't stupid. She knew that this idea wouldn't sit well with Gilda, even if it would get Rainbow Dash back as her friend.

"Oh come on how bad could it be?" Gilda asked.

Pinkie Pie whispered the plan into Gilda's ear.

"You want me to do WHAT?!" Gilda shrieked in anger just like Pinkie Pie had predicted. The plan that the pink pony had suggested was the most humiliating thing that Gilda could think of. She did _not _want to do what Pinkie Pie was suggesting.

"Well you said you would do _anything_ to get her back didn't you?" Pinkie Pie asked, putting extra emphasis on the word anything.

"Well yeah but." Gilda began but Pinkie Pie interrupted her.

"This is all I can think of." She said in an uncharacteristically serious voice. The two of them stared at each other, golden yellow griffon eyes looking into sky blue pony eyes before Gilda gave in.

"All right you win." the griffon said in an annoyed tone. "But am I supposed to just randomly do _that_ all by myself?" She refused to speak the plan aloud because just thinking about it made her feel like throwing up. _I should not have eaten such a big breakfast._ Gilda thought.

"Don't worry I'll be there to help you and my friends will help you too." Pinkie Pie said in an excited tone. She was really eager to try and help Gilda.

"Oh yeah and why would they help me?" Gilda demanded. "In case you forgot, I yelled at everypony in this town the last time I was here."

"Be right back." Pinkie Pie told her and with that she zoomed out of the house in a flash leaving Gilda to her thoughts.

Gilda weighed her options. On one claw she could go along with Pinkie Pie's plan but on the other claw she could just abandon the plan and try to win Rainbow Dash back by herself.

_If this works,_ She thought._ Dash might just forgive me but it will be humiliating. But if it doesn't and she still hates me I'll still be humiliated. I can't believe I'm gonna do this but I know that I have to have her back as my friend so I guess I have to trust this sugar loving nutcase of a pony._ Gilda didn't much care for the plan but it was the only shot she had. Soon enough Pinkie Pie returned and she brought two friends with her. One was a purple dragon with green scales that Gilda had seen the first time she was in Ponyville but she had never been introduced to while the other was the last pony aside from Pinkie Pie that Gilda thought would ever help her: Fluttershy.

"Pinkie." Gilda began. "I know she's your friend but do you really think Fluttershy would want to help me? I treated her almost as bad as I treated you." _That's definitely an understatement._ Gilda thought, remembering how she had roared right in the pony's face. Fluttershy was in tears after she met Gilda the first time. That was definitely not something Gilda had wanted to do. She had just let her anger get the best of her.

"She'll help as long as you apologize to her." Pinkie Pie said. She gave Gilda an encouraging smile.

_This pony is either going to get me my friend back or give me a heart attack. _Gilda thought. _But I might as well apologize to Fluttershy since I'll need all the help I can get. Besides if I want Rainbow Dash to forgive me it'd help if her friends forgave me first._ Gilda apologized to Fluttershy for roaring at her and making fun of her. Luckily for Gilda, Fluttershy accepted her apology with no hard feelings.

"I didn't mean to make you cry." Gilda said to the yellow pony. "You were just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"Oh it's fine." Fluttershy replied, not meeting Gilda's eyes. It was clear that she was still a little afraid of the griffon. "I guess I should have looked where I was going."

With her apology to Fluttershy out of the way, Gilda focused on Spike who had a neutral expression on his face.

"So Pinkie." Gilda said. "Who's the dragon?"

"Oh that's Spike." Pinkie Pie told her. "He works with our friend Twilight Sparkle and he'll help us."

Spike looked at Pinkie Pie as he spoke. "Just remember what you promised me. I help you out and you help me get a date with Rarity."

"Rarity?" Gilda asked. "Who's Rarity?"

"The most beautiful pony in town." Spike replied, his eyes having turned into hearts.

"Oh boy here we go again." Fluttershy muttered with a giggle as Spike went on and on describing Rarity in glowing terms.

Gilda barely kept from rolling her eyes at this. Friendship was one thing, but she did not like romance in the slightest. The mere thought of it made her gag. It didn't help that Spike was using the mushiest of words to describe Rarity.

"So anyway how are they going to help me get Rainbow Dash to forgive me?" Gilda asked interrupting Spike's endless speech. Thankfully, Spike took the hint and finally stopped babbling on about his crush, much to the griffon's relief.

"Well you said it'd be awkward to do this alone so I got a group together so it won't be awkward." Pinkie Pie told her. Her enthusiasm about the plan was not shared by Gilda.

"Oh it will still be awkward." Spike said. "You just won't be alone."

"Even if this would work Rainbow Dash wouldn't go for it. She hates me for how I acted before." Gilda said.

"Don't worry." Pinkie Pie said in a soothing tone. "I have it all planned out. I'll throw a really big party like I did the last time you were here. Don't worry there won't be any pranks like last time." She added as she caught Gilda's nervous look. "Rainbow Dash won't even know you're there and if this works she'll definitely forgive you."

"How do you know she'll even show up?" Gilda demanded. She wasn't going to humiliate herself in front of what would most likely be an entire crowd of ponies if she wasn't a hundred percent sure that Rainbow Dash would be there.

"She'd never miss one of Pinkie's parties." Fluttershy said in an honest tone.

"Nopony in their right mind would." Spike agreed. "They're tons of fun."

"Thanks Spike." Pinkie Pie said as she hopped over to the dragon and gave him a small hug. The little dragon pretended to be grossed out by the affection but the blush on his face gave him away. He may have had a crush on Rarity, but getting a hug from a mare made him blush regardless.

"All right fine since you have everything planned out what should I do?" Gilda said. The griffon had finally given up on any chance of the plan being changed. _Just like last night I cannot convince this pony to give up on helping me. _she thought. Pinkie Pie was determined to help her and she was determined to go through with this plan so Gilda just went with her on it.

"Well all you need to do is put your story into words." Pinkie Pie explained. She was bouncing in place, trying to hold in her excitement.

"And just how am I going to do that?" Gilda impatiently snapped. "My life has just been one big mess ever since I left here. One little slip up and everything became a disaster."

Pinkie Pie looked thoughtful for a moment and then shrieked. "Disaster? Slip up? One big mess? I've got an idea." She quickly got out a bit of paper and some ink and was rummaging around the room looking for a quill but she had no luck. "Hey um Gilda can I use one of your feathers please?" Pinkie Pie asked.

Gilda stayed silent as she grabbed a feather that had been feeling a bit loose anyway, pulled it out, and handed it to Pinkie Pie. The pink pony then dipped it into the ink and began writing with Gilda, Spike, and Fluttershy standing around waiting for her to finish.

After a couple minutes Pinkie Pie finally put down the feather. "All done." She said with a bright smile, as she took a couple steps, or rather bounces backwards. Gilda moved towards the table and checked out what Pinkie Pie had written and to her surprise it was great. In fact it was better than great.

"Pinkie this is awesome." Gilda told her. "You nailed it."

Fluttershy and Spike voiced their approvals as well. Fluttershy then took the feather and another piece of paper, and within minutes she'd written something that went perfectly with Pinkie Pie's plan and they got down to some practice. Hopefully when it was all over, their efforts would be well worth it.


	7. Chapter 7: The Party

**Chapter 7: The Party**

Gilda and her new friends had been practicing for the whole week. After a week's worth of hard work, Pinkie Pie finally decided that they were as ready as they could be and she scheduled the party. Gilda was nervous about the potential humiliation as well as how Rainbow Dash would react to what they had planned. They had made the final adjustments to their preparations and were waiting for the right moment to put their plan into action. Meanwhile Rainbow Dash was talking to her friend Twilight Sparkle as they walked down the road towards the party. They were totally unaware of the surprise that would be in store for them, or more specifically Rainbow Dash.

"I can't wait for this party." Rainbow Dash said with excitement in her voice. "Pinkie Pie said she even had a surprise planned."

"Well I hope this surprise isn't a bunch of pranks." Her friend Twilight Sparkle replied. The purple alicorn looked Rainbow Dash in the eyes as she continued. "You remember what happened last time right?"

"Yeah." Rainbow Dash responded. "Don't worry I'm not planning any pranks. I've learned my lesson from G-Gilda."

Rainbow Dash turned away from Twilight Sparkle. She refused to let the tears come. She wasn't going to let that happen. Not in front of her friend.

"Something wrong Rainbow?" Twilight Sparkle asked, with concern in her voice.

"Nothing. Just that Gilda came back about a week ago." the pegasus responded quietly.

"Really, what happened?" Twilight Sparkle asked. She knew what Gilda's attitude was like and she was worried for her friend's well being. Rainbow Dash noticed the alarm in her voice and calmly told the story.

"Like I was gonna forgive her after what she pulled." Rainbow Dash huffed angrily after she finished her story. "She didn't mean that apology."

"How do you know that?" Twilight Sparkle asked. "She could really be sorry."

"Oh please." Rainbow Dash replied. "Sorry is not in that griffon's vocabulary. Besides you saw how she acted at the party."

"But the two of you were best friends." Twilight Sparkle insisted. "Maybe she wants to make it up to you."

"Well she's gonna have to wait." Rainbow Dash replied. "I have a party to go to today and I know she won't be there."

"How do you know she won't show up?" Twilight Sparkle asked. "Did she say anything to you?"

"No." Rainbow Dash admitted. "But you heard what she said about you and everypony else that was there last time. She wouldn't want us around her. We're too lame for her."

Twilight Sparkle saw the anger in Rainbow Dash's eyes and decided that it would be best to steer the conversation towards anything that wasn't Gilda.

"Have you seen Spike at all?" she asked. "I haven't seen him all week and it's a lot harder to do my studies without him helping me."

"Haven't seen him all week." Rainbow Dash replied in a much calmer voice. "I haven't seen Fluttershy in a while either."

"Neither have I." said Twilight Sparkle. "I haven't even seen Pinkie until she invited us to the party."

Rainbow Dash got a serious look on her face, which was soon replaced by a look of alarm.

"You don't think Gilda did something to them?" she asked in an urgent tone.

"I doubt it." Twilight Sparkle assured her. "We'd have heard something. Besides if she wanted revenge, she wouldn't have gone after Spike. He did nothing to her."

"What do you mean?" Rainbow Dash demanded.

"There are only three ponies that I think Gilda would hate by now." Twilight Sparkle said seriously. "Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and-" Twilight Sparkle stopped herself just in time but Rainbow Dash took the hint.

"Me." she finished flatly.

"Yes but that's how I know she has nothing to do with it." Twilight Sparkle insisted. "You're just fine and Pinkie Pie was all right enough to plan a party and invite us, so Fluttershy and Spike are probably just busy doing something else. You know how much Fluttershy cares for all those animals and Spike, well he's probably trying to figure out some way to impress Rarity."

"I hope you're right." Rainbow Dash responded. She had her doubts, but decided to keep them to herself for now.

Thew two of them had finally arrived at the party and had met a few of their friends. Applejack was there. So were Rarity, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom as well as many other ponies. Even Princess Celestia and Princess Luna showed up. But Spike, Fluttershy, and even more surprisingly Pinkie Pie were nowhere to be seen. Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle exchanged glances but decided not to say anything. It was definitely a strange thing to see a party with no Pinkie Pie in sight. It was even more strange that the pink pony was missing since she was the one who was throwing the party. Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle were definitely concerned, but they put their worries aside. Hopefully they'd see their friends soon enough.

A couple hours earlier.

Gilda had just finished practicing one final time as she waited for Fluttershy and Spike to show up at Pinkie Pie's house. The three of them would then arrive at the party where Pinkie Pie was putting the finishing touches on the decorations. They would show up a while before anyone else would. They'd use that time to go over their plan once more and get everything set up. Gilda heard a knock on the door and she knew it was them. Gilda opened the door to greet Spike and Fluttershy. Then Gilda closed the door behind her and the three of them headed off to where Pinkie Pie's party would be: SugarCube Corner. Once they were inside the building, they saw how much work Pinkie Pie had put into it. The place looked beautiful. It wasn't just the usual balloons and streamers, but instead it was more elegant. Granted it still had that cheerful Pinkie Pie feel to it, but it was a much more refined and elegant looking version of her style. The equipment that they had brought in the day before was arranged perfectly on a stage that had been built at the end of the room.

"Looks like everything's ready." said Gilda. She was still nervous about the plan, but she was willing to go through with it if it meant getting Rainbow Dash back.

"Pinkie you did a wonderful job." Fluttershy complimented.

Spike gazed in awe at the decor. "You may have even out done Rarity." the dragon said.

This statement caused the others to look at him with surprised expressions on each of their faces. It was rare for him to think anypony did something better than Rarity, seeing as he had such an obvious crush on her. However, they knew that he meant the compliment and it meant a lot to Pinkie Pie, who blushed a bit and was thankful that her face was pink instead of any other color. The time trickled by as they went over their plan one last time and practiced as much as they could. They checked the time and noticed that the party was about to start. They got themselves set up along with their equipment and waited hidden behind a large red curtain. A lone microphone stood on the other side in plain view of anypony that was there. They heard the voices of many ponies and waited a little bit longer. Pinkie Pie peeked her head out from behind the curtain and saw Rainbow Dash among the crowd of ponies. She was talking with Twilight Sparkle. Pinkie Pie withdrew her head and gave Gilda a nod which the griffon returned. Pinkie Pie stepped through the curtain, while the others waited for their cue. Pinkie Pie approached the microphone and tapped on it.

"Hi everypony." She said in an energetic tone. All the ponies continued chatting as if they hadn't heard her. "Um hello?" she repeated uncertainly. Why weren't they paying attention to her?

"Pinkie." She heard somepony whisper. Pinkie Pie turned around and saw Fluttershy. "The mic has to be turned on first." The yellow pegasus quickly withdrew her head back into the curtains.

"Oh I knew that." Pinkie Pie said, as she flipped the switch to the on position and greeted her guests. This time they heard her and they stopped chatting so that they could give her their attention.

"Thank you all so so so so so much for coming to this very special party." She said with excitement in every word. "I have a very special treat for all of you. I have some friends with me and we'd like to show you something that we've been working on for a while. We hope you like it." She retreated back into the curtain. There were whispers among the crowd. What was she talking about? Who was with her?

"You ready Gilda?" Pinkie Pie whispered.

Gilda had never felt so nervous since the Mid Terms. She felt like she could puke, run away, or just pass out at any moment. After a reassuring smile and a small hug from Pinkie Pie, she gulped and nodded. Pinkie Pie got herself set up as Gilda took a deep breath and walked through the curtains before her nerves got the best of her. Any small quiet noises that were being made by the crowd were instantly silenced. Gilda noticed that everypony there was giving her a look of anger and she knew exactly why. Ignoring all the evil eyes, the griffon began to speak.

"Thanks for showing up everyone. I know that I'm the last griffon you'd expect to see. I have a very special treat and it's for a great friend of mine. Or rather what used to be a great friend of mine." She glanced towards the floor for a second before turning behind her. "You guys ready?" she said with determination. The curtains rose up and revealed Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Spike behind her. Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy were holding guitars while Spike was seated at a drum set. The ponies started playing their guitars and Spike started banging on his drums while Gilda waited for her moment. When her moment came, Gilda started to sing.

**Author's Note: **At this point I would recommend that you open up a tab in your internet and look up the song "One Little Slip" by the Barenaked Ladies. That is the song that Gilda is singing and it is also what inspired me to write this story.

She sang a song that perfectly described her situation. She sang about how her life had been a disaster and that she was alone. She sang about how everything had started with good intentions yet turned into a giant mess. She sang about how she had overreacted and how Rainbow Dash knew everything else. Then she as well as Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Spike sang about how it had been one little slip up. Gilda then sang about how her situation was a confusing mess.

During the brief pause between the verses Rainbow Dash gave her friends a glance of pure shock that they returned. Seeing Gilda sing was surprising enough but Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Spike being her band was just astounding. When Rainbow Dash had been told that there would be a surprise at the party, she was expecting anything. But this was beyond surprising.

Gilda then continued her song. She sang about how she had made the wrong decisions and had missed a couple signs along the way. She sang about how she lost all of Rainbow Dash's respect and affection when she humiliated herself. She sang about how she had gone on what she had assumed and how that had been what caused everything to spiral out of control. Then she and her band repeated the line about Gilda had made one little slip up which was followed by Gilda repeating the line about the confounding mess her life had become.

Gilda then sang about how she felt that she'd never be able to live in Ponyville until she lived down the one mistake that had been haunting her since she left. She sang about how everypony would forget about her mistakes when they realized how she'd redeem herself.

Gilda nodded her head to the beat as Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy played their guitars and Spike played the drums. She waited until it was time for her to continue singing again. In the crowd Gilda's former best friend watched the griffon's performance in awe. Rainbow Dash never knew Gilda could or would sing and she was stunned by this display. Was this whole performance for her?

Gilda sang once again about how she had had good intentions at the start. She sang about how everything turned into a big mess because of her overreacting. She sang again about how Rainbow Dash knew what happened afterwards.

The four on stage sang about Gilda's slip up once again.

Gilda sang a quick line about how she'd made one little stumble which was followed by a big ungrateful slip.

Gilda sang her last lines about the confusing mess her life was, as Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Spike played their last notes. When the song was over the four of them took a bow. The audience clapped, cheered, screamed, whistled, and made a great deal of noise as the curtain closed. Gilda looked at her friends and spoke almost silently.

"You three are really great friends." She whispered. "Thanks."

"No problem Gilda." Pinkie Pie said as she hopped over to the griffon and gave her a hug which the griffon returned.

"Don't give us all the credit Gilda." Fluttershy said. She had definitely started to warm up to Gilda ever since the griffon apologized. Fluttershy used to be scared of her, but now she had realized that Gilda really wasn't all that bad.

"Yeah." Spike agreed. "They're cheering for you as much as they're cheering for us."

Gilda smiled a little. "I just hope Rainbow Dash liked it."

"I bet she loved it." Pinkie Pie said cheerfully. She just kept hugging Gilda and the griffon didn't mind at all.

Meanwhile in the audience, Rainbow Dash sat in complete shock that her former best friend would do what she had just witnessed. One of the things that Gilda never did since Rainbow Dash had known her was sing. Gilda singing was something that the pegasus had never thought would ever be a possibility, and yet it had happened.

"That was amazing." Rarity said in an awe-filled whisper. She had been impressed by the decorations, and now she had been even more impressed by the performance.

"That griffon may be meaner than a snake but she sure can sing." Applejack agreed. Aside from Rainbow Dash, Applejack had the most negative feelings about Gilda since the griffon's first visit to Ponyville, yet even she couldn't deny that the show Gilda had put on was spectacular.

"Rainbow what did you think of it?" Twilight Sparkle asked. The alicorn had been watching her friend's reactions closely throughout the song, wondering what the pegasus was thinking.

"Oh yeah they were great." Rainbow Dash said hastily. Her friends gave her an exasperated look at her remark, as if she was missing something that was painfully obvious. Glancing at the three ponies with an annoyed look, Rainbow Dash spoke up again.

"What?" she said defensively. "I said they were great."

"You just don't get it do you?" Rarity said, while shaking her head, as if Rainbow Dash had ignored a fact that was staring her in the face.

"What?" Rainbow Dash asked in an irritated tone. She was getting tired of her friends giving her that tone as if she wasn't seeing something that was right in front of her. As far as the pegasus knew, she'd done nothing wrong.

"Gilda!" her three friends said at once, causing the pink and purple eyes of the light blue pony to widen in surprise.

"She sang that song for you. It was her apology." Rarity said with a glare.

"Didn't you notice how well it fit with what she did before?" Applejack said angrily.

"I told you that she wanted to make it up to you." Twilight Sparkle insisted.

"But what should I do?" Rainbow Dash asked in a confused tone.

"Go and talk to her!" Her friends nearly shouted in unison, shocked that anypony could be so clueless.

Rainbow Dash immediately got up from her seat and ran towards the stage, ignoring the crowd of ponies. _If Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy helped her does that mean that they've already forgiven her? _the pegasus wondered, as she pushed the curtains out of her way, and was face to face with Gilda. Upon noticing the arrival of Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie let go of the griffon and took a couple of steps backwards. She felt that it would be best to leave the two of them alone to talk.

"I guess you figured it out." Gilda muttered, while looking down at the floor.

"My friends figured it out for me." Rainbow Dash admitted sheepishly. The pegasus had a small blush on her face, as she rubbed the back of her head with her hoof.

Gilda lifted her head up so that she could look her former best friend in the eyes. The duo then stared at each other so intently that they didn't even notice the curtain rise.

"Rainbow Dash I'm so sorry for everything I've done. I was a total dweeb." Gilda said. "Please can you forgive me and can we be friends again?"

Rainbow Dash looked at Gilda as her golden yellow eyes pierced her soul once more. The crowd was making small noises of sympathy but neither the pegasus nor the griffon paid them any mind.

"Oh Gilda." she began. "That was the nicest thing you've ever done for me but we can't just be friends."

Gilda let her head droop down until she looked at the floor. _I did all of that for nothing._ She thought miserably. _All of that planning, all of that hard work, and Rainbow Dash still hates me._ Out of the corner of her eye she saw Pinkie Pie's crestfallen, disbelieving face. She had been so enthusiastic about helping Gilda and now it seemed like it had all been in vain. Even Spike and Fluttershy were in shock at Rainbow Dash's response.

Rainbow Dash put her hoof under Gilda's chin and slowly lifted the griffon's head up until they were looking into each other's eyes. Gilda unwillingly stared into the pink and purple eyes of the pegasus pony and wondered what she was going to say.

"Let me finish." Rainbow Dash said. "We can't just be friends. We have to be _best_ friends."

Gilda's golden yellow eyes opened wide in surprise. "Y-you mean it?" she asked in a stunned tone. She couldn't believe her ears. Had Rainbow Dash finally forgiven her?

Rainbow Dash closed her eyes, smiled, and nodded. Gilda was so overcome with happiness that she hugged the light blue pegasus, not even caring that approximately a hundred ponies or maybe more were watching. Rainbow Dash returned the hug as the crowd cheered.

"I missed you Dashie." Gilda whispered softly.

"I missed you too Gilds." Rainbow Dash whispered back.

The pegasus and the griffon just hugged each other even tighter. They didn't care who was watching or what they were saying. Their pride didn't matter to them since they had both finally gotten their best friends back after so long apart. They felt each other's tears fall onto their bodies. Their tears were not of sorrow but instead they were tears of joy. All of a sudden, Pinkie Pie zoomed towards them and threw her forelegs around them. Taking a deep breath, she opened her mouth wide.

"GROUP HUG!" she yelled at the top of her lungs.

Right after Pinkie Pie made that announcement, Fluttershy and Spike joined the hug. Soon enough Applejack, Rarity, and Twilight Sparkle were with them. Then the Princesses joined, as well as the Cutie Mark Crusaders. After only a moment, everypony in the room had joined the hug. They had stayed in that group for what seemed like an eternity. When they finally broke apart, everypony started conversing among themselves, leaving the pegasus and the griffon alone to catch up. Spike found Pinkie Pie standing near the punch bowl. A smug grin appeared on his face as he approached the pink pony. He was finally going to get a date with Rarity.

"So Pinkie." He began. "You remember the deal right?" He grinned at the party obsessed pony with a sense of accomplishment. Pinkie Pie finished her cup of punch and, with a warm smile, she dragged Spike over to Rarity and explained the deal to her. After hearing about the situation, Rarity had a small frown on her face. She scolded Spike for not helping Gilda out of the kindness in his heart like Fluttershy did. With his eyes closed, Spike hung his head low feeling ashamed of himself.

"Besides." Rarity continued. "If you wanted to go on a date with me why didn't you just ask?"

Spike was feeling deflated. This was going horribly. He thought getting a date with Rarity would be easy but now it seemed like she hated him. "I thought you'd say no." he said in a soft voice.

"And why would you think that?" Rarity inquired.

Spike had no clue what to say in response to the unicorn's question. Rarity spoke up again.

"Well why not ask me out now?" she said.

"Um okay." Spike said nervously as he shuffled his feet. "Rarity do you want to go on a date with me?"

"I'd love to Spike." She replied with a warm smile. Rarity was a little surprised that Spike would actually ask her out but she was definitely flattered.

Spike was so overcome with happiness that he fainted and hit the floor with a loud thud causing Rarity and Pinkie Pie to laugh hysterically. Spike stayed on the ground for almost an entire minute before he finally opened his eyes. Once Spike eventually regained consciousness he and Rarity made plans for their date. Spike might not have had wings but that didn't stop him from feeling like he was floating on air.


	8. Chapter 8: The Challenge

**Chapter 8: The Challenge**

Gilda and Rainbow Dash were ecstatic that they had finally become best friends again. The two of them had talked with each other so much it was like they didn't even need to breathe. Finally the party ended and everypony there had complimented Gilda, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Spike on their impressive performance. Gilda was surprised that they were complimenting her too. Not only was she a jerk to everypony the last time she was there, but she herself didn't think that she sounded that great. Apparently, the ponies who had watched her perform disagreed since they all complimented her with honesty. Gilda stayed behind with the Mane Six ponies and Spike to clean up SugarCube Corner. When everything was spotless they walked out, closing the door behind them.

Twilight Sparkle and Spike headed off towards the alicorn's castle after Rarity gave Spike a small kiss on the cheek and reminded him of their date. The sudden affection caused Spike to once again pass out, leaving Twilight Sparkle to pick him up and carry him, while Rarity left for her home and some beauty rest. Applejack headed back to Sweet Apple Acres for a good night's rest before she had to work in the morning. Thankfully there wasn't a lot of work that needed to be done, so she would definitely get enough rest after her work was finished. Fluttershy headed off to her home for some peaceful sleep, leaving Gilda, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash alone. The trio had gotten close to Rainbow Dash's home in the sky. The griffon and the pegasus embraced in one last hug before Rainbow Dash flew off to the sky. Just before she took off, Rainbow Dash looked at Gilda and spoke.

"By the way Gilds." she said, with a mischievous grin on her face as she used the pet name that she hadn't used in such a long time. "You have a great singing voice."

Gilda laughed and blushed, which thankfully was hard to see under her feathers. "Don't get used to it Dashie." she teased in a playful tone. "That was a one time thing."

Gilda and Pinkie Pie watched as the light blue pegasus pony flew up into the sky and into her cloud house. The duo then walked over to Pinkie Pie's home where Gilda settled herself on Pinkie Pie's bed. Gilda kept trying to convince Pinkie Pie to sleep on the bed instead of the floor, but the pony wouldn't hear a word of it. Pinkie Pie got herself comfortable on the makeshift bed made from bundled up blankets, and the two of them were about to go to sleep before Gilda spoke.

"Pinkie Pie." she whispered softly.

Pinkie Pie's head perked up and she looked at Gilda.

"Thanks for helping me." Gilda said. "And I'm sorry that I was so mean to you."

"That's ok Gilda." Pinkie Pie said cheerfully with a sweet smile. "I guess I was a little annoying and I should have left you and Rainbow Dash alone for a while."

"Still I was well I was a Meany McMeanPants." Gilda said, using the term Pinkie Pie had once used. "You didn't deserve to be treated like that."

"You're not mean anymore Gilda and that's all that matters." Pinkie Pie said happily. The two of them then fell asleep as they were too tired to talk anymore. Both were exhausted from all their hard work yet both were pleased. Gilda had gotten her best friend back and Pinkie Pie had helped fix the mess that she felt she had a hoof in creating.

The next day Gilda and Rainbow Dash were walking together chatting about whatever they felt like. Both of them felt extremely happy to have their friends back. Rainbow Dash had challenged Gilda to see who could clear out more clouds. Rainbow Dash won but not by much. Gilda had said it was only because Rainbow Dash was experienced while this had been Gilda's first time clearing clouds. Then Pinkie Pie and the other ponies joined them. The eight of them kept chatting about their day until Pinkie Pie interrupted.

"Hey Gilda could you and Rainbow Dash show us those stunts you did at the Mid Terms?" she asked eagerly.

"You told her about that?" Rainbow Dash asked Gilda. She wasn't angry with the griffon but she was certainly surprised. She didn't expect Gilda to tell Pinkie Pie such a personal story.

"Well she wanted to help me so I think she needed to know the whole story." Gilda replied. "I just couldn't help myself." she added guiltily under Rainbow Dash's stern gaze. For one moment Gilda thought that she was in trouble, but to her surprise Rainbow Dash started to smile a little.

"Well then maybe we should show them exactly what we did." Rainbow Dash said with a grin that Gilda returned.

This statement caused the other ponies to stop talking and stare at the scene unfolding before their eyes. Only Pinkie Pie had heard about the stunts those two had pulled off and even then words couldn't do the scene full justice. They were about to march over to an empty stadium where they could show off their stunts but a voice caused them to stop.

"Did somepony say something about stunts?" the voice asked the group.

The eight friends turned and Rainbow Dash's jaw dropped in amazement. There standing before her very eyes were three of the Wonderbolts. They were in full uniform no less. Gilda couldn't recognize which of the Wonderbolts were standing before them but it didn't matter. She glanced over at Rainbow Dash and fought the urge to laugh. The pegasus was just standing there with eyes as wide as dinner plates and a jaw that had dropped so much that one would think that it had become unhinged. Realizing that her best friend would have trouble speaking in the presence of her idols, Gilda decided to speak up for Rainbow Dash.

"Yeah Rainbow Dash and I were just about to show our friends here the stunts we showed off years ago back when we were in Flight School." the griffon said in a voice of fierce determination.

One of the Wonderbolts stared intently at Gilda and in a thoughtful tone said. "You look familiar. Have we met before?"

Another Wonderbolt's eyes opened wide and in an excited tone she said. "That's Rainbow Dash and Gilda the Griffon. They were the team that got the perfect score on the Mid Terms in Junior Speedsters Flight School!"

This exclamation instantly perked the interest of the other Wonderbolts. While they had already known about the skills that Rainbow Dash possessed, they'd never seen her with Gilda, who despite being a griffon was just as well known among them. They'd hate to see this opportunity pass them by for a second time. Their scouter had told them about the skills these two had showcased during the Mid Terms but by the time the Wonderbolts showed up at the school Rainbow Dash had already dropped out and Gilda had flat out refused to perform for them without her best friend by her side. If they let these two walk away right now they'd most likely never get the chance to see them perform again.

"Well then." The first Wonderbolt said with a bit of excitement in his voice. "Why not make a little challenge out of it?"

The word challenge instantly got Rainbow Dash's confidence up. Her expression having finally changed from shock to determination, she spoke up. "What do you have in mind?" she asked and by the look on her face she was ready for anything.

"Well." The second Wonderbolt replied. She spoke in a thoughtful tone as she continued. "We've been looking for new recruits for a while and maybe you could be just what we've been looking for."

"You mean both of us?" Gilda asked in a small voice. All of the Wonderbolts were ponies and as far as Gilda knew griffons like her might not have even been allowed to join. Thinking that she'd had no chance of being accepted, Gilda wasn't nearly as passionate about joining them as Rainbow Dash was but now it looked like her secret dream might finally come true.

"We'll see." The third Wonderbolt replied. "You'll both have to prove yourselves if you want to join. So what do you say?"

Gilda and Rainbow Dash quickly had a whispered huddle with their forelegs wrapped around each other and after a brief moment they turned to face the three Wonderbolts with determined looks on their faces.

"We say." Rainbow Dash began.

"You're on!" Gilda finished.

Within the hour they had made it to a nearby stadium which was then packed with ponies. The crowd there was even bigger than the one at the Mid Terms and the stakes were even higher. Gilda and Rainbow Dash looked at each other and nodded. While it may have seemed unoriginal for them to reuse what they'd already done during the Mid Terms, the Wonderbolts had said that they were looking to see if the two of them could recreate their original stunts flawlessly. The pegasus and the griffon walked out into the stadium and after taking one more moment to prepare themselves for what could possibly be the biggest performance of their lives, they gave the Wonderbolts the signal that they were ready and they took off into the sky causing all the ponies in the audience to cheer.

Rainbow Dash flew high and gathered speed leaving a rainbow colored trail in her wake. Using that trail, she flew and created a heart in the sky. Gilda meanwhile remained closer to the ground and was gaining her speed with a trail of fire following her every move behind her. She flew straight through the heart like an arrow and the fire followed her perfectly. The crowd gasped at the stunning display but the duo was far from finished. They flew towards opposite ends of the stadium and flew in circles to gain speed while their trails increased in size and strength. Then they lunged towards each other and the crowd was on the edge of their seats thinking that the two of them were about to collide, but Rainbow Dash and Gilda grabbed on to each other and spun around and around and around. They let go and flew high into the air with their trails following behind them. They circled each other in midair and the rainbow trail began to intertwine with the flaming trail. They flew down at breakneck speeds and just before they hit the ground, they did a complete 180 and flew straight back up and then in the air passed right by each other. The rainbow trail hit the flame trail and the two trails exploded into a shimmering array of multicolored sparks. The crowd was really getting into it now. There was cheering and applause all around the stadium. Rainbow Dash and Gilda looked at each other and nodded to confirm that it was time for the Grand Finale.

The two of them flew faster than ever. Mach cones surrounded both of their bodies as they flew high into the air. They started flying in seemingly haphazard patterns but their trails continued to follow them. They flew in such a graceful manner that one couldn't help but be in awe of their performance. When the crowd saw what the trails had made they were beside themselves with cheering. Rainbow Dash had used her rainbow trail to create a replication of Gilda in the sky while Gilda had used her flaming trail to create a replication of Rainbow Dash right next to it. After this the two of them flew downwards spinning in circles all the while. Rainbow Dash was surrounded by a Rainbow Cyclone while Gilda was surrounded by a Flaming Cyclone. When the two cyclones had settled, the crowd saw Rainbow Dash and Gilda standing perfectly side by side. The cheering was deafening. Rainbow Dash and Gilda looked at each other and nodded. They signaled to the Wonderbolts that they had finished and much to their surprise all of them were staring at the duo with wide eyes and gaping mouths which could only mean good news. After the cheering died down Rainbow Dash and Gilda gazed unblinkingly at the Wonderbolts as they huddled up. Soon they had flown from their table and landed in front of the pegasus and the griffon.

"That was amazing." The first Wonderbolt said in an awestruck tone.

"Rainbow Dash we'd be honored if you would join us." The second one agreed. "You wouldn't even need to try out or anything. We'll sign you up right now if you want."

Rainbow Dash was in shock that her idols the Wonderbolts were offering her the chance to join them without any training at all. Granted she'd attended their academy before, but she didn't last as long as she'd have liked. It was her life's dream to someday be one of them, and all she had to do right now was say one simple word. But she looked at Gilda and noticed that the Wonderbolts didn't say anything to her about joining them.

"Well I'll join but on one condition." Rainbow Dash said.

"Name it." The third Wonderbolt replied excitedly. They clearly wanted the rainbow maned pegasus to join badly.

"I just want Gilda to be able to join with me. If it wasn't for her you wouldn't have bothered talking to me." The light blue pegasus said.

The three Wonderbolts looked at Gilda, and it was easy to tell that this was a difficult choice for them. They could see that she was a great flier, but she was also a griffon. The Wonderbolts had been ponies only for as long as anypony can remember. It wasn't exactly racism, it was more about tradition and whether or not they'd give up a tradition that had been in place since the Wonderbolts first started.

"Rainbow Dash please don't give up your dream just for me." Gilda said to her friend pleadingly. She'd worked so hard to get back on Rainbow Dash's good side. The last thing Gilda wanted to do was to feel like she was getting in the way of her best friend's dreams. Even if Rainbow Dash didn't hold a grudge against her, Gilda would always feel incredibly guilty if she got in the way of her best friend's life goals.

"No Gilda they asked both of us to perform which means both of us should get to join." Rainbow Dash said firmly. Gilda wanted to argue some more but she could see that Rainbow Dash was not going to budge.

The Wonderbolts looked at each other uncertainly. It would be very easy for them to convince the other Wonderbolts to allow Rainbow Dash to join, but Gilda on the other hand, while certainly talented, was a griffon.

"What will it be?" Rainbow Dash asked. "You can have both of us or neither of us."

The Wonderbolts gave each other another uncertain glance. They knew that they couldn't recruit two new members without talking to the others first, especially since one of the newcomers was a griffon. They looked at each other and silently agreed to talk to the other Wonderbolts before making any decisions.

"We'll be in touch." they said in unison. After shaking hoofs with both Rainbow Dash and Gilda, they took off to the skies, leaving the duo in a stunned silence.

Rainbow Dash and Gilda watched them fly off. The Wonderbolts hadn't denied them the chance to join but they hadn't accepted them either. Gilda turned to Rainbow Dash with a surprised expression on her face. Gilda could see a small bit of sadness in her friend's otherwise firm expression.

"Would you really give up the chance at being a Wonderbolt just for me?" The griffon asked her best friend quietly.

"Yes, I would." Rainbow Dash said firmly. "You earned the perfect score on the Mid Terms just as much as I did. You deserve the chance to join just as much as I do. If they won't accept you just because you're a griffon then they're not worth my time."

"You really are the Element of Loyalty Dashie." Gilda said in an admiring tone. _She's willing to give up her dream just to make sure I get treated fairly. _Gilda thought. _She really is the best friend I could ever ask for._ "I'll bet they'll come back soon enough." Gilda said in a voice of fierce determination.

"Yeah and then they'll have two new members." Rainbow Dash replied.

The crowd had begun to leave the stadium for their homes and Gilda and Rainbow Dash waited by the entrance for their friends. Pinkie Pie proposed a small party to celebrate their stunts as well as the fact that they may very well be joining the Wonderbolts soon. The idea was easily accepted by the others and soon enough they were all partying at SugarCube Corner laughing and having a great time.


	9. Chapter 9: Gilda's Promise

**Chapter 9: Gilda's Promise**

A few days after Gilda and Rainbow Dash performed for the Wonderbolts, Gilda decided that she needed a house of her own in Ponyville. She was perfectly comfortable living with Pinkie Pie, but she felt bad that Pinkie Pie had to sleep on the floor while Gilda got the bed which was much more comfortable. Pinkie Pie still flat out refused to allow Gilda to sleep on the floor for even a minute and since her house didn't have the space for an extra bed, Gilda knew that she needed to have her own place or at the very least a room where she could have her own bed.

"How am I gonna get my own place?" Gilda had asked her best friend Rainbow Dash, after explaining the situation to her. "I don't have the bits to buy a house here."

"Isn't it obvious Gilds." She said with a smile. "You can just live with me. I have a spare room in my house. You can just sleep there."

"I don't wanna be a bother Dashie." Gilda said seriously. "Pinkie Pie sleeping on the floor for me is bad enough, I can't do that to you too."

"Don't you have any furniture?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"No I-" Gilda began but then a small grin formed on her face. "I just remembered something."

Rainbow Dash gave her a questioning look as she continued.

"I made a promise to two certain griffons and I think it's time that I made good on that promise." Gilda said in a mischievous tone.

She told Rainbow Dash about how she had left her parents's house declaring that she'd one day return to get her stuff.

"Only problem." She said. "I can't carry all of that stuff myself." _I wonder if it's even there anymore._ she thought.

"Not a problem Gilds." Rainbow Dash said. "Follow me."

Rainbow Dash took off with Gilda right behind her. Soon they met up with the other ponies and Spike. Rainbow Dash explained the situation to them and they volunteered to help. They were still trying to come up with a plan when they were joined by none other than Princess Celestia herself. She'd heard about the situation and she was willing to do whatever she could to help Gilda get settled in to her new life in Ponyville. Twilight Sparkle then came up with a plan. She'd recently learned a new spell which allowed her to teleport to different places or to the side of any living creature as long as she had something she called DNA. She taught the spell to Rarity as well and Twilight Sparkle felt that they could teleport to Gilda's house magically transport her furniture to Rainbow Dash's home and get everything set up. When the furniture had been teleported Rarity would use her keen attention to detail to organize it properly. While unicorns couldn't usually stand on clouds, Twilight Sparkle was able to use her magic to create a cloud-walk spell that would allow Rarity to stand on clouds for a certain amount of time.

"Hold it what do you mean by DNA?" Gilda asked in a puzzled tone. She was pretty skeptical about the plan. She trusted Twilight Sparkle but that was only because she was friends with Rainbow Dash. Twilight Sparkle explained to Gilda what she meant by DNA and that only made Gilda even more skeptical. "What am I supposed to do?" she asked. The griffon was thinking that Twilight Sparkle might ask for a sample of her blood or something.

Twilight Sparkle went back to her house for a moment and returned with two empty water glasses and set them down on the ground in front of the griffon.

"Um Gilda." she began. "I know this sounds weird but can you give me two of your feathers please?"

Gilda was definitely confused by this but she complied. As she plucked two of her feathers and placed them in the glasses, she gave Twilight Sparkle a look of questioning as her horn glowed and soon one of the glasses was filled not with her feathers but with a weird looking purple mist. Rarity did the same to the other glass though she looked rather disgusted by the idea. Both glasses were filled with the strange purple mist and Twilight Sparkle said that Gilda's feathers contained her DNA and she could use Gilda's DNA and the spell to teleport to Gilda as soon as she got to her house.

"Only thing is." Twilight Sparkle said. "We need to figure out how we can know when exactly you're at your house. Rarity can't fly so we can't take the risk of teleporting too early."

All the ponies looked thoughtful for a minute but then Gilda's eyes shot open and she looked at Spike with a mischievous grin on her face.

"Hey Spike." She said. "Ever wanted to ride on a griffon?"

"Ummm yeah. Sounds cool." Spike replied in an uncertain tone. He didn't know what Gilda had meant by that question.

"Well then today's your lucky day." Gilda replied. With one claw she scooped Spike up and sat him on her back. She then said that she and Rainbow Dash would fly to Gilda's house with Spike on Gilda's back. When they made it Spike would send a letter to Princess Celestia and then Rarity and Twilight Sparkle would teleport over. While Gilda could definitely make the trip alone, Rainbow Dash felt compelled to join her after hearing how much Gilda's parents hated any living creature that wasn't a griffon. She felt that Spike, Rarity, and Twilight Sparkle might need some protection just in case things got out of hoof or claw. Needless to say, Gilda and Rainbow Dash were very willing to provide whatever protection their friends needed. They all agreed on the plan and Rainbow Dash and Gilda were getting ready to fly.

"I'd make a race out of this G, but that wouldn't work out for me since I have no clue where your house is." said Rainbow Dash in a playful tone.

Gilda laughed a bit before speaking. "Doesn't matter Dash. Just follow me, and Spike just hold on tight."

Spike grabbed hold of Gilda's neck, which caused Rarity's face to wear a look of jealousy, and then both the pegasus and the griffon took off into the sky, with Spike laughing like a maniac. Gilda always loved flying. She really enjoyed the feel of the wind going through her feathers and pushing herself to fly at breakneck speeds. One way or another, flying always seemed to put a smile on her face, even on the worst of days. Rainbow Dash, being a pegasus pony, felt exactly the same way. Spike, meanwhile, couldn't fly but he was definitely enjoying himself. Soon enough Gilda saw her old town and the three of them landed in the square. It was a simple sort of town. Since every resident was a griffon, it had been built in the sky rather than on the ground. Aside from that it looked like any other town. The griffons nearby glared at Gilda and her friends, but the trio paid them no mind. Gilda ran off towards her parents' house, with Spike clinging to her back and Rainbow Dash running right behind her. Gilda reached the door, and after giving the other two a warning about her parents' attitude, she opened it and the three of them went inside.

"Well well well. Look who's finally returned." An angry female voice said. Gilda recognized her mother who had a glare on her face that Gilda readily returned.

"I told you she'd come crawling back soon enough." Her father growled. "And she's brought a mule and a lizard with her."

These words sparked outrage as Rainbow Dash and Spike quickly responded.

"MULE?"

"LIZARD?"

They glared at Gilda's parents while Gilda whispered "I warned you."

Gilda's parents looked like they were about to attack Rainbow Dash and Spike, but Gilda stood her ground facing the angry griffons. Her eyes had a look of fierce determination as well as anger as she spoke to her parents.

"Now you listen to me." She growled fiercely. "I don't care what you think of me. But don't you dare insult my friends. They've got more compassion and kindness than you two could ever hope to have." Gilda glared at her parents as she continued. "I'd try to get you two to apologize but I know that won't happen." Glancing at Spike, she told him to send the letter. Spike pulled out the scroll and sent it on its way. The five of them waited for a moment and soon enough Rarity and Twilight Sparkle appeared in two swirls of purple mist. Rarity went to go introduce herself to Gilda's parents but Gilda stopped her. She gave Rarity a look and shook her head, silently telling her to avoid going near the two griffons. Gilda gave her parents one last glare as she and her friends walked towards Gilda's old room which surprisingly was unchanged since she left. Rarity went inside alone while the other four waited for her. Twilight Sparkle had told Gilda that Rarity had a photographic memory when it came to design, and they left her to her work. Soon enough Rarity left Gilda's room and told them she'd got the layout memorized perfectly. She teleported away and the others walked into Gilda's room and after Spike got the letter that Rarity was ready Twilight Sparkle began teleporting furniture to Rainbow Dash's house. The process went on for a while and soon enough the room was totally empty. The four walked out of Gilda's room and were about to leave when they heard an angry voice.

"And just what is the meaning of this young lady?" Her mother demanded.

"Don't you remember?" Gilda snarled. "I told you I'd be back to get my stuff out and that's just what I did." she glared at the two griffons. "And unless you've got anything to say to me, I'll be on my way to my new home with my new _friends_." Putting emphasis on the last word, Gilda looked at her parents, expecting some more petty insults or some half hearted goodbyes. Part of her hoped that her parents might just apologize. Gilda didn't know if she'd forgive them or not if they did, but she couldn't help but hope that maybe they had learned from their mistakes the same way she did. The two griffons just glared at Gilda and then at the others.

"You caused all this." Gilda's father thundered at Rainbow Dash. "You turned my daughter into some lowly weakling that befriends mules and lizards and who knows what else." He advanced menacingly towards the pegasus but Gilda had had enough. With a roar of rage, she flew towards her father and pinned him to the floor. She towered over him and gave him a glare of pure loathing. Gilda's mother made a movement as if she was going to attack her daughter, but threatening glares from both Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle made her stay right where she was.

"Don't you ever." Gilda growled, with pure fury in every word. "Talk about my friends like that again." She got up, gave the two griffons one last hate filled glare, and turned away, leaving her parents behind her. Twilight Sparkle teleported back to Ponyville, while Gilda scooped Spike up and placed him on her back once more. He held on tight with a look of excitement on his face. Gilda and Rainbow Dash proceeded out the door and took off into the sky leaving the town as well as the entire kingdom of Grifforia behind them. The griffon and the pegasus flew side by side back to their hometown.

Once the duo arrived back in Ponyville, Gilda allowed Spike to climb down and he went back to Twilight Sparkle's castle to get some rest. He enjoyed the flights but they left him exhausted. Gilda and Rainbow Dash flew to their house in the sky and saw that Rarity had just finished decorating the spare room. It matched the griffon's old room perfectly. Gilda thanked Rarity for all her help and complimented her on how she had recreated her old room. Rarity left Rainbow Dash's house and by that time it was getting dark out. After they brushed their teeth, Rainbow Dash and Gilda went into Gilda's new room. Rainbow Dash had since gotten rid of the sleeping pills, feeling that she wouldn't need them anymore, now that Gilda was back and they were best friends again. The two friends stared at each other for a moment before speaking.

"Good night Dashie." Gilda said.

"Good night Gilds." Rainbow Dash replied. She was on her way off to her own room when Gilda spoke again.

"Dashie." she began.

"Yes?" Rainbow Dash replied in a polite tone.

"Thank you for everything." Gilda whispered.

"You're my best friend Gilda." Rainbow Dash told her with a smile. "I wish I remembered that at the party. I should have let you explain yourself before I yelled at you."

"Hey I deserved it." Gilda said. "I was a jerk."

"Still I just wish I'd realized that our friendship meant more than some dumb pranks." the pegasus pony whispered.

"I wish I remembered that too." the griffon replied.

The two were silent for a moment before Gilda spoke up again.

"I didn't apologize just because I felt guilty you know." Gilda said. "Plain and simple without you my life sucked. I had nobody once I lost you. If I wasn't so dumb I wouldn't have lost you."

"Even after what you did I still missed you." Rainbow Dash said. "I just thought that even if I forgave you my friends wouldn't. I tricked myself into thinking that I was better off without you."

"Dashie. You were my best friend and my only friend." Gilda said. "I thought that you were the only friend I'd ever need. I guess I just let myself believe that you felt the same way. But we're friends now and that means the world to me."

"No." Rainbow Dash replied. "Not friends. _Best_ friends."

With the last word, Rainbow Dash moved towards Gilda and gave her a warm hug before heading to her own room. Gilda gave her new room one last look, thinking that something was missing. She opened the old leather bag and pulled out the cardboard box. She gazed at the photograph from years ago and smiled. Tucking the familiar note in the back of the frame, Gilda walked over to her dresser and placed the photo on top. Still smiling, she got into her bed and fell into a peaceful sleep. Over the next few weeks the dresser became home to more photographs. There was one of Gilda shaking hoofs with Princess Celestia and Princess Luna when they agreed that Gilda could live in Ponyville. There was another that showed Gilda on stage with her bandmates playing their hearts out while she sang her song for Rainbow Dash the other day. Yet more photos showed Gilda with Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rarity, Twilight Sparkle, and Spike. There was another photo which showed them all in one big group. There was even one of her and Rainbow Dash shaking hoofs with each of the Wonderbolts after they performed their stunts at the stadium. But no matter what photos were added, the first one was always in the middle. It remained in pride of the place as a reminder of Gilda's first friend, as well as what she'd do for Rainbow Dash and for all of her new friends.

**The End!**

**Author's Note:  
><strong>I'd like to thank you guys for reading this story. I hope you enjoyed reading it because I had a lot of fun writing it. I've watched the entirety of Season 1 and I felt that Gilda needed redemption. I'd like to thank the following people:

1Lone Shadow, TammyHybrid21, and Darkefairie for beta reading my fanfiction. You guys have been really helpful.  
>I'd also like to thank The Barenaked Ladies for writing the song "One Little Slip" which inspired me to write this story.<p>

I have plenty more stories planned as sequels and I hope to get them out to you guys as soon as possible.

Thanks for reading this story!


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